The Way it Always Was
by Postquam est
Summary: Len is semi-retired from his singing life, but refuses to get a job, despite Rin's protests. When Rin gives him a supposedly 'lucky' charm to improve his future, it doesn't take long for things to start falling into place, turning out better than the past. But then again, it can't really be because of such a silly charm, right? MikuxLen. COMPLETE.
1. Introduction

**Hello, MikuxLen fans. Or just Vocaloid romance fans. This fanfic was inspired by a certain tumblr blog, negibanana. (I hope it's okay to credit that blog on here) Anyway, this is the introduction to what will probably be a 3-part story, but I won't have another part up for a while since I can't seem to multitask and work on two stories at once. I hope you like this for now :)**

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It's a sad way to live, the way I do. It's an endless cycle.

"I need to think positive," I'd say.

"Have you done that at all in the past few years?" my mind would counter.

"No," I'd admit.

"So then you need someone else to help you." Now there's a suggestion.

"No one can," or at least I feel that way.

"Then why are you even bothering with the thought?" Even my own mind is tired of me.

"I need to think positive," I'd say.

My thoughts were interrupted as the phone rang. I went over and checked the caller ID. A smile found its way to my lips as I read the name. She can leave a message. It's not at all that I don't like her, it's just really better to let her voice her opinions to an answering machine than me.

"Hello, _dear_ _brother_, I'm coming over. You need my help, so there's really no avoiding it, of course."

As caring as ever.

"And by the way, I know you're in the room. If you keep ignoring me like this, you're going to die alone, you know that?"

As sweet as ever.

"...I'm just kidding, but really, it doesn't hurt to pick up the phone once in a while for someone as important as me, the Great Rin Kagamine."

As humble as ever.

"Now, back to business. I've been looking around for some jobs for you, since I'm just that considerate, and I'm going to present them to you tomorrow, kay? You can't just keep singing for charities and stuff. I know it's a good thing to do, but you won't be able to sustain yourself if you don't get a real job. Your money won't last for-"

Only the Great Rin Kagamine could keep talking herself past the time limit on the answering machine. I actually don't know whether she knows the message ended or not. Either way, she's still coming over, and I can't escape that fact.

It's not that I'm depressed and need help like Rin claims. I've just never been super outgoing, really, and it only got harder when my friends moved away from the neighborhood we had all ended up in, the one that was reserved specially for the singers in the Vocaloid company. Of course, every popular thing comes to an end, as did that. Some of us are still requested for concerts and such, but other than Rin, I don't even know what happened to everyone else.

I don't even know what Rin does anymore. She doesn't seem to have grown up at all. For all I know, she's trying to become a model or something. I know I should try to take care of her, or at least make sure she's okay once in a while, but I just can't seem to get over the fact that I can't take care of myself, at least not in the way Rin wishes I could.

Sure, I can do just fine in my own house, and I keep the place fairly clean, but what Rin is worried about is my financial and social situation. I'm not depressed, I swear, but I don't feel like I have the courage to start a different lifestyle. It's hard to find courage when the results of using courage in the past were futile.

I felt my heartbeat quicken as I think about the past. It seemed so important then, like everything that happened then was the only thing that would ever matter. But now I have a broader perspective, and it's better that I just get over the unhappiness. After all, it's very hard to succeed at everything. And those who can't succeed at everything shouldn't try to be friends with those who can.

I know there's no one like that, but at sometimes it seems like it.

I glanced around my simple living room. It was meant for two people, but Rin moved out to pursue one thing or another, so I got rid of some things to make it suitable for one. If Rin is visiting, though, I might try to add something to accomodate her. Then again, she'd probably be happy just sitting wherever.

Deciding I couldn't keep idling in my thoughts, I got up from the couch, grabbed a coat, and left the house to take a walk around the neighborhood. It really is a nice time of year to take a walk. The air is cold, and there's snow on the ground, but at the moment, the sun warms the air enough to keep it pleasant.

It's also near Christmas time, and the neighborhood is decorated, quite extensively, but of course that's to be expected, since the people who live here are quite rich. Since this neighborhood was the old home of most Vocaloid singers, it's sort of like a novelty to live here, thus the extra cost of the homes.

As I walk along with my hands deep in my coat pockets, I continue to muse about how many people here would readily be my friends, I'm sure, if I just gave them a neighborly gift of some sort out of good spirit and struck up a friendly conversation. It wouldn't hurt, and I'm sure Rin would do something like that, even if it was with a subtle note of superiority, just because that's the type of person she is. I can't bring myself to act upon such an outgoing idea, but maybe one day.

An orange car sped by me on the road, going the opposite direction. I sighed, but I couldn't hold back a small smile. How many people own orange cars around here?

I turned and started to head back towards my house, trying to think of the reasons she could possibly have for coming a day early. I hadn't been walking for very long, so it was a short trip back home, but when I arrived, Rin was tapping her foot impatiently at my door.

"What kind of person leaves their sister out in the cold?" she asked, giving me a disapproving look.

"You said you were coming tomorrow," I explained calmly as I stepped forward to unlock and open the door for her. Her face immediately brightened.

"Oh, that's right," she said with a grin. "I couldn't wait any longer. Happy early Birthday!" she cheered, pulling out a present from within her own coat.

As I took the present, I paled at the sudden realization that I had forgotten not only my birthday, but her birthday as well, since they were the same. I was suddenly thankful that she chose to bring me a present almost two weeks early.

"Rin, is this the only reason why you came?" I asked, glancing at the average sized gift. I followed her into the house, and as I took off my coat, she made herself at home in front of the TV.

"Maybe..." she said, turning on the TV. I walked over quickly and turned it off, standing in front of it with arms crossed.

"That's not a very polite thing to do," I pretended to scold, though I really just wanted her to answer my question. She seemed to be avoiding it.

She pouted at my actions. She definitely doesn't seem to have grown up in the least. "I'm missing a show I wanted to watch to come see you, you know?"

I stared at her in disbelief. "Are you really going to say you want to come see me and then sit down and watch television?"

"I'm just kidding, of course," she said with a wave of her hand. I still wasn't so sure, so I stood my ground in front of the TV. Rin pulled out a folded sheet of paper from her pocket, and looked over it quickly before looking back at me. "I have a list of possible jobs for you," she said, trying to be cheerful, but knowing from experience that I wasn't going to take this easily.

"I don't want a job," I said quietly, looking off to the side in annoyance.

Rin ignored me as she looked around the room. "Well, the first one that I recommend is a hotel maid, with how clean you can keep things."

I looked back at her with a bored expression, knowing that in itself would say enough. She gave me a hopeful smile for a moment before sighing dramatically. "Fine, no hotel maid for you. Okay, well, there's a job opening at the grocery store for cashiers. You could work there."

"I am not going to work some mindless job, okay? I've only ever had one job _ever_, and I don't want anything different."

Rin gave me a dangerous stare, though she hardly ever lost her temper for real with me. It was something I could appreciate about her. Really, I could appreciate a lot about her, like how she was putting up with my stubborness for so long. She really did want to help, I know, but I just can't stand the thought of doing something I don't enjoy.

"Well, you know what? You're being a mindless _slob_..." Rin paused, looking around at my spotless house once again. "Okay fine, you're being a mindless recluse, and it's kinda creepy if you ask me. You're going to be living here when you're like 90, and everyone's going to have spread stories about the creepy old man who NEVER GOT A JOB."

"While you're the delusional old lady who thinks she rules the world?" I asked with a straight face, deciding to poke fun at Rin. She wasn't amused.

Finally, she sighed and crumpled up the piece of paper in her hand. "Fine, just open your present," she said, looking away and waving her hand at me in an uninterested fashion.

"Now?" I asked, deciding it was safe to step away from the TV and take a seat next to Rin.

"Of course," Rin said, looking back at me expectantly. I couldn't really do anything but open the gift, with her staring at me like that.

As I laid my eyes on the peculiar object in the bottom of the box, I was left speechless for a moment.

"It's a leek," I finally managed to say something. Something stupid, but something nonetheless.

Rin clapped her hands with a joyful expression. "It's a good luck charm for you," she said proudly, as if she had just solved all my problems.

I breathed out something inaudible, but Rin continued to talk. "Frame it, cuddle next to it when you sleep, eat it, I don't care," she said, oblivious to my difficulty in processing the situation. She finally realized I was still staring at the leek blankly and waited for me to say something.

"Why would you do something like this?" I asked, finding the 'gift' only to be a grim reminder of the past I couldn't change.

Rin's eyes lit up; apparently she had been expecting me to ask something like that. "It's to counter the past and offer hope for improvement," she declared.

I frowned, despite the effort she was making to cheer me up. "I don't even know where she lives anymore," I mumbled, more to myself than to Rin.

"See, that's the best part of a good luck charm," she explained excitedly, as if I didn't understand how good luck charms worked. "You will get lucky, and find her at the best moment!"

"Really now," I said, still giving her a skeptical look. She stared at me with an intent childish expression that made me forget what I was going to say. I finally broke my gaze and looked away. "Okay, fine, I'll keep it as a good luck charm. That seems kind of hopeless and over-obsessive, though, doesn't it?" I asked halfheartedly.

Rin didn't say anything to respond to my question; instead, she continued to stare at me with her creepy expression. "What?" I finally asked.

"I'm hungry."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Did you eat before you came over here?"

"Yes."

"I'll go make you a sandwich," I said, giving up once again. I walked over to the kitchen, ignoring the immature giggles from Rin, and collected the ingredients, noticing that I didn't have much food left in the process.

Having finished making the sandwich in silence, I walked back over to Rin and handed it to her, grabbing my coat in the process. When she gave me a questioning look, I shrugged it off. "I'm going to the store. I need to buy more food. Feel free to stay here if you'd like."

"It's okay, I'll leave," she said cheerfully, and bit into her sandwich. She got up to follow me out the door and we went our separate ways. I decided to walk, since the store wasn't too far, and I had been planning to walk anyway.

"Byebye!" Rin called, getting into her car. I turned to her and waved, a small smile on my face. After all, she was my sister, and I was glad for the company that wasn't usually present in my solitary lifestyle.

I walked on in silence, letting my mind calm down. Surprisingly enough, the minutes flew by, and the twenty minute walk felt like five. I started to cross the store's parking lot, wary of the fact that it was icy. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that other people weren't so careful, as I learned when I was hit full-on by a falling body.

"I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," I responded as I looked down at myself, kneeling while I brushed the snow off of my coat and pants. I looked over at the girl who had fallen and was currently trying to get up, and our eyes met.

Those eyes were the same ones that made my heartbeat quicken ten years ago.

The same ones that were making heat rise to my cheeks, despite the cool temperature.

"Len?" the girl mouthed my name, looking at me with wide eyes. I stood up and offered my hand down to her.

She grabbed my hand, and I couldn't tell if she was blushing, or if the cold was just making her cheeks rosy as she stood. Yes, from the characteristic teal hair, cut shorter and let down, to the sweet visage was still present behind the flustered look she wore now, Rin's good luck charm just might have worked.

"Miku."

And the memories came flooding back.

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**I hope you liked it! x]**

**Reviews are always welcome and replied to.**


	2. Part 1, Scene 1

**Well, I've finally decided how I want to write this. It's going to have three parts, each with three scenes that are just little moments in Len and Miku's story. I'll list the next one at the end. For now, enjoy the first real chapter of the story. It might be of interest to re-read the intro, but it's up to you. **

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**Part 1, Scene 1**

_~The Day I Met Her~_

"Len Kagamine?"

A quick nod by myself.

"Miku Hatsune."

I didn't need to see her nod to know who she was. I stared at the girl that I had never seen in person before. She looked somewhat flighty, with her carefree expression and innocent disposition. Of course, I had seen posters of the girl, in which she seemed more...confident. She didn't seem timid or anything at the moment, but she did seem fairly teasable, not that I'd poke fun at a girl that I had just met, especially not this one.

"I didn't expect to run into you here," she said, and it almost sounded apologetic, as if it was against the rules to meet or something.

"It's not really a problem," I said, looking around at our surroundings. The only thing that might be an issue was that we were in the middle of a parking lot, which still wasn't such a bad thing, since there was barely anyone around.

"So what brings you here?" she asked casually, as if we were someplace out of the ordinary, instead of the grocery store.

"I was about to buy some food..." I said slowly.

"At six in the morning?" Miku looked at me with a quizzical smile.

"Rin might yell at me if we don't have anything to eat for breakfast," I said with a shrug, then glanced at my watch. "Though now that I think about it, she probably won't wake up for at least four more hours. Now what about you? Why are you here, when you haven't even been able to introduce yourself for nearly two weeks now?"

Miku's smile faltered. "Um...I'm sorry, I'm such a terrible neighbor!" She seemed to be talking to herself more than me. "It was my job to welcome you to the job and neighborhood, and I just _had_ to be sick and busy and so much singing and..." she trailed off, seemingly remembering she was still supposed to answer my question. "I was getting more medicine for myself."

I suppressed the urge to sigh. "You know if you come to the store when it's early and cold, you're not exactly helping yourself get better."

Miku shook her head quickly. "No no, I'm almost better now!" She gave me what I guess was supposed to be a reassuring smile. "I would have come to meet you sooner, but I still catch up on all of the songs I've been payed to sing," she said.

Despite the important conversation we were having, I decided to actually go into the store I had been going to in the first place.

I shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to disappoint this girl who was waiting expectantly for me to say something in reply. "Listen, Miku, I still have to go buy the food, and you've already got your medicine so..." I trailed off, hoping she got the idea.

Unfortunately, she continued to stare at me for a moment, her expression unchanging. She finally blinked and seemed to realize something. "Oh...okay. We can keep talking while we walk."

I opened my mouth to correct her, but I thought better of it and just sighed and nodded resignedly. "Yes, I guess we can."

I began to walk, Miku went along beside me, and I wasn't sure whether she was a bit slow and really thought I wanted her to come with me or if she was one of those pushy people who subtly tried to drop obvious hints to get their way. From the little knowledge I had of her so far, she could be either one.

"So how do you like your job so far?" Miku said, unfazed by my silence.

"It doesn't really seem like much of a job," I admitted, glancing over at Miku as we entered the store.

Her expression brightened up immediately, and it actually surprised me a little bit. "Exactly!" she said happily. "It's more like..." she stopped, seemingly at loss for words. "I don't know!" she said, laughing. "I'm just glad I got something that could be called a 'job' and is so much better than what other people perceive a job to be."

I was slightly taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm, and honestly a little bit scared, but I continued my statement nonetheless.

"But Rin's better than me. I think everyone likes her more." The statement might've seemed like I was deprecating myself, but it really was true. In the few weeks since I've begun my job, though Rin and I were both advertised abundantly, I couldn't help but feel that she was attracting more attention.

Miku waved her hand in calm disbelief. "They'll warm up to you. And even if they were to give you terrible feedback and criticize your every move," she started, giving me a smile, "you can't let them define your own opinion of yourself, you know? As long as you're doing something you love for good reasons, there's no reason to feel sad."

I wasn't quite sure that sadness was the most accurate way to describe my feelings, but Miku's words were encouraging nonetheless, and for a moment, I didn't really know what to say.

"Excuse me, Miss, do you need help finding anything?"

Our conversation was abrubtly halted by the store attendant who had approached us. With embarrassment, I realized that we had just been wandering aimlessly throughout the store. Before I could answer, however, Miku responded instead.

"Nope, we're just enjoying neat organization of everything. I wish I could keep my house this clean, but it really is so much work..." Miku said lightheartedly. The worker gave her a funny look before walking away. Miku looked at me expectantly, and I walked on with more direction.

"So do you get more attention because you're famous?" I mumbled to Miku as I picked out fruit.

Miku giggled and I looked at her questioningly. "I think he asked me because he thought I was in charge of you," she said.

I dismissed the idea and went back to picking fruit. "What would make him think that?"

"Weeell, I'm taller than you," Miku started holding up a finger as if she was going to start listing reasons, which, she probably was. "I'm older than you..."

"The guy doesn't know that," I interrupted. "And besides, just how much older than me are you?"

Miku clasped her hands behind her back. "A year, maybe? You're fourteen, right? I'm fifteen."

I scowled and walked on. "Yeah, big deal."

Miku hurried after me. "And I'm also much more mature than you," she said decidedly.

"What makes you think that?" I said, grabbing items off shelves and sticking them in my basket.

"I've lived on my own longer, and I am naturally more observant, responsive, and cute."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you just making this stuff up as you go?" I asked her, having found everything I needed. I started loading items onto the conveyor belt at the checkout station.

"Maaaybe," Miku said sweetly, perhaps trying to enforce the cute part of her previous statement. I didn't feel like telling her that I wasn't trying to compete against her in the cute department.

"That will be $42.79," the checkout attendant said.

"Mm, you didn't buy much," Miku said, glancing at the bags.

I was preoccupied with the sudden realization that had hit me in the face. "I forgot money," I said darkly, and Miku's eyes widened for a moment before she smiled.

She pulled out a credit card from her pant pocket and handed it to the cashier. She leaned closer to me, as if she was going to say something, and giggled. "Like I said, more mature than you," she reminded me.

She stepped back as the cashier handed her credit card back, and I gathered my groceries. As we walked out of the store, Miku gave me a sideways glance.

"I'll repay you when I get back home," I told her, since she seemed to be asking with her expression. She grinned.

"Well, you're probably just lucky I didn't forget my money. I've never done it, but it's probably something I would do," she admitted, but I think she was just trying to make me feel better.

We began to walk back towards our homes; they weren't far, because we had something in common: our job. We had both been recruited as singers for the Vocaloid company, I much more recently, and we were offered a reserved home in a quiet neighborhood, close to necessities. At this point, the sun had risen, and the early hours of the morning were in full swing as joggers and dog-walkers made their rounds. That was something I had noticed quickly: the active people seemed to be active at such an early time.

"So how did Kaito greet you, since I couldn't do it myself?" Miku asked, and as the occasion came back to me, I realized that she must have been greeted by the same person.

"Well," I started, "he doesn't seem to have a good judgement in the way of what's appropriate..."

Miku laughed and shook her head. "What did he do?"

"He jumped out of a large gift box, yelling 'surprise,' and shirtless because he claimed he got too hot in there," I stated dryly.

"And what did you do?"

I had to smile to myself as the event replayed in my head. "Well, _I _didn't do anything. Rin thought it would be a good moment to show off her strength, and throw the guy, box and all, off our porch."

Miku giggled again but then stopped abruptly. "Is she nice? Rin, I mean. I was so excited to meet her, but if she's going to hurt me..."

Miku sounded genuinely worried, as if my sister would actually beat her up. Of course, I couldn't blame Miku, since I had just told that story, and she didn't know Rin. "No, Rin's not much of a threat, really," I said, glancing up at the sky for a moment. "Rather...irrational, at times, and maybe a bit overly enthusiastic, but I think Kaito had it coming for him. You don't just jump out of a box half-naked in front of a girl."

"Hm, no," Miku said thoughtfully. "I probably wouldn't do that."

I stared at Miku for a moment, trying to figure out if she was serious. She had an odd way of carrying conversation.

"Hey, Len?" Miku spoke up again, seeming to take my silence as a cue to speak. "Did you have to move away from your friends when you came to our neighborhood?"

I was slightly caught of guard by the question, and I wasn't sure why Miku chose to ask it, but I answered nonetheless. "I guess. I'm still going back to live with my parents during some of summer, though, so I'll see them again."

"Do you feel lonely?"

Another serious question. It was almost making me uncomfortable. "Not really, I mean, I still have Rin, and she can be entertaining, if she's not sleeping, watching TV, or playing video games...actually, yeah those take up most of her time."

"So what do you do?" Miku continued to ask questions, now looking at me curiously as we walked. "To pass the time?"

I looked down at the ground, where snow was clumped here and there, most of it piled to the sides of the sidewalk. "I don't really know. I just sort of...did normal stuff, that normal people do?" I said it questioningly, not quite knowing the answer myself. It was impossible to say that I did one thing or another to pass the time.

Miku's expression brightened up again. The unpredictability of this girl is amazing. "Well now, you can sing."

"Is singing really all that great?" I asked. Of course it's nice, fun sometimes, but Miku kept talking about it as if it was the answer to everything.

Instead of the enthusiastic answer I was expecting, Miku seemed rather reserved when she answered. "Well, I mean, it is what I'm good at, maybe not best at, but it's a way to express myself, and be a voice for fans, so I enjoy it with a whole heart and optimistic perspective," she said brightly.

I hadn't ever actually stopped and thought about it that way, to be honest. I knew Rin thought of it almost as a competition, but I didn't really know what to think of it. "That's pretty optimistic," was all I could say. It's not like I'm pessimistic or anything, but I'm not jabout to go to add rainbows and sunshine to everything just for the fun of it.

Miku seemed to know what I was thinking. "If you start to think of it as a gift, and how you can use that gift to try to help others get through the day, you might see where I'm coming from. Really, I enjoy doing my best for others, but even if I could only make one life a little bit better, it would still be worth it, in my opinion."

"Are you always this cheerful?" I asked her, not sure if she was just happy to talk about singing, or if this was her normal state.

"You could say that," she answered, without hesitation. It was such a vague answer for being such a quick response, I wasn't really sure what to think. So I stayed silent, and for once this morning, she didn't have anything else to say.

It was during the silence that I started to get uncomfortable. All of the things I had said to Miku started to replay in my head, and better replacements found their way into my thoughts and pestered me with worry about how I could have said something differently, or how I could have made a better impression. I found myself quite self-aware, wondering if I was walking funny, checking my clothes to see if they matched, hoping my expression wasn't sending the wrong message.

Though, in all of that, I doubt she even looked at me. It wasn't until she followed me to my door that I remembered I owed her money. With an apologetic look, I hurried inside, not bothering to break the silence.

When I came back out with the money and handed it to Miku, she thanked me with a warm smile that reassured me in some way, and I returned the smile as quickly as I could.

"Bye, Len; I hope I can meet your sister soon," she said sincerely. My smile faded unintentionally and I'm sure urgency was apparent in my eyes as I tried to think of what to say. Why was it so hard to think of something?

She was already turning to leave; I guess she didn't think I was going to answer. So with the last bit of confidence I had left, I finally managed to say something to her turned back.

"Bye, Miku," I said, quieter than I had intended. It was then that I realized she hadn't been walking. Had she been waiting for me to say bye? I half expected her to turn around and say something else, but as I watched her, she only seemed to nod her head slightly and walk off towards her house, which was right next to mine.

I'm sure I caught her smiling, though.

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**Up next:**

**_The Day I Saw Her Cry_**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	3. Part 1, Scene 2

**Here's the next chapter! Italics mean flashback (very recent flashbacks, though.) Enjoy.**

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**Part 1, Scene 2**

_~The Day I Saw Her Cry~_

_"What are you looking at?"_

_I turned around quickly to see a curious Miku looking over my shoulder at my computer screen._

_"I-who let you in?" I asked, glancing back at the screen._

_"Rin did." Miku peered closer at the screen. "You're reading criticism about one of your songs?"_

_"I was hoping I could improve," I explained, quietly. As much as I hated reading about what faults others found with me, I wanted to try to change those._

_Miku grinned. "Well, sometimes reading those can be funny. I'll show you what some people said about one of my songs," she said, managing to lean around me and take control of the computer. After a couple of moments, she pulled back and pointed at the screen. "See? Some people really aren't very nice at all."_

_I looked where she was pointing and frowned at the foul descriptions of Miku's voice by one person. "That's not funny," I protested, sad that anybody would be so mean. "That shouldn't be said about anybody, even if they did fit those descriptions."_

_Miku shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it's easier to throw mean criticism left and right from behind a screen, isn't it?" She asked the question so nonchalantly, but her smile almost seemed sad, like she was disappointed that someone would do that._

_"You aren't bothered by reading this kind of stuff?" I asked, wondering if I would ever be so bluntly insulted by someone and still be able to read it and laugh. As I kept reading, one person started bashing on Miku herself. They didn't even know Miku, so how could they judge her personally by the songs she didn't even write herself?_

_"Well, are your bothered by reading criticism about yourself?" she asked me, distracting me from my thoughts._

_"No."_

_Yes._

_"Besides, even if you say that yours isn't as bad as mine, it doesn't matter. You can't let something someone else said affect your attitude. For every negative comment, there are two positive ones," Miku continued in a matter-of-fact tone._

_Despite the fact that her estimation was probably wrong, it was still encouraging. It was no wonder she was viewed as a sort of representative for our company. "I suppose you're right," I said._

Conversations I had had with Miku in the recent past echoed back and forth inside my head as I blankly watched her and Rin play some video game I didn't even recognize.

Miku was such an interesting person; she could be wise and almost motherly in one moment, but then clueless and childish in the next, like right now, as she played this game. Though her thoughtful moments often stood out in my mind, she was probably childish the majority of the time. It's still difficult to think that she could be older than me.

"Hey Len, why won't you play with us?" Miku asked, turning to look at me.

"He's too scared of getting beaten by me," Rin said, only turning to Miku.

"Am not," I said indignantly. "I just don't even know what this game is, and so I wouldn't know how to play it."

"I don't know how to play it," Miku volunteered cheerfully.

That would explain the audible mashing of buttons I could hear.

I sighed. "Rin, did you not teach her how to play?" I asked.

"She's learning on the go! If I had to sit down and teach her everything, it wouldn't be any fun now would it?"

Now that I thought about it, Rin herself probably never read any instructions for anything. I know for certain she didn't read the instructions on the box of cake mix she tried to burn the house down with the other day.

Miku checked the clock above the TV and her shoulders sagged. "Aw, I have to go now anyway. I have a recording session from 6 to 8."

"Two hours?" I asked. "I thought you were only recording one song today."

"Yeah, it's eight minutes long," she replied as she stood up, stretching her legs in the process.

"Oh, well, I'll still be here if you feel like playing more after you get back," Rin said, waving goodbye.

"And she'll also understand if you're tired and don't want to," I added, giving Rin a pointed look.

Miku smiled and laughed slightly. "Okay, bye." With that, she left, and Rin and I were left sitting in silence for a few moments.

"It's amazing how she manages to deal with so many recording sessions and for such long periods of time, and still finds time to spend time with us," Rin finally said, staring at the door where Miku had left.

"Yeah, it does seem like she's always recording one song or another with hardly a day's break in between," I agreed. "But I think she likes hanging out with you, so I guess it's fine."

Rin gave me a short look that I couldn't quite interpret; it was sort of like disappointment, but I don't know what she'd be disappointed about, so that couldn't be it. She looked back at the door in the next moment, though, so I didn't get to think about it too long.

With nothing else to do, I decided to go ahead and make dinner. Rin definitely didn't need to be the one doing that. As I started preparing a fairly well-memorized meal, I was once again quickly lost in my thoughts.

_"Oh, of course, go ahead and come in," Miku said somewhat tiredly, stepping away from her door so I could enter her house. "I wasn't really doing anything."_

_I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her messy house. I had just helped her clean up less than a week ago._

_"If you want something to drink, I was just having some juice," Miku offered, heading over to her kitchen table and grabbing her own glass._

_"Uh, sure," I agreed. As she poured another glass of juice with her back to me, I continued talking. "So, I know it's late, but I wanted to ask a favor."_

_She turned and gave me a curious look. I was taken off guard for a moment. She just looked so..._

_...flawless?_

_I shook those thoughts away and continued on. "Rin has some sort of obsession with oranges, and I lost a bet with her, so now I have to buy her a 'cute orange outfit.' I'm really hoping she just meant the color, but anyways, I have no idea what to buy, so I was wondering if you could..."_

_Miku smiled then, and giggled as I trailed off. "You want me to take you _clothes _shopping?"_

_"For Rin, remember," I said quickly. Then I ran my fingers through my hair nervously. "Yeah."_

_"Okay," Miku agreed with a teasing smile. "Tomorrow."_

Dinner was quiet, which was somewhat unusual, since Rin usually had something to say. For a while after dinner, I watched TV with Rin, but I just couldn't stay interested.

_"Hey Len, do you ever smile?" Miku asked as she examined a dark orange skirt in one of the mall's many stores._

_I was slightly caught off guard by the question. "Of course!" I replied. I definitely smile._

_"Smile, right now," she demanded with a straight face, turning to me abruptly._

_The smile I gave her was apparently so not-smiley that she gave me a pitying smile of her own. Seeing her look, I glanced away and went back to frowning._

_"Why do you even care?" I asked, slightly offended that she didn't approve of my facial expressions._

_"Because I..." Miku stopped for the briefest moment, "don't think it's healthy for someone to frown so much," she finished, with a slight nod._

_I crossed my arms. "Well I don't want to walk around with that cutesy look of blank innocence on my face, either," I said, poking fun at her expressions._

_I could see Miku trying to frown at me out of the corner of my eye, but apparently she was amused, because she smiled slightly and turned back to look at clothes._

_Of course it was true that Miku smiled more often than me; in fact, I had probably genuinely smiled in front of Miiku once in the entire time I had known her. Granted, that wasn't a very long time, but I could see where she was coming from._

_Of course, when I was alone, free to be lost in my thoughts, that was different._

Deciding to do something useful with my time, I went to my room to practice a song or two, since I did have a recording session of my own in a couple of days. Not even twenty minutes later, I heard Rin calling my name.

I walked into the living room, where Rin was draped across our couch, somehow managing to take up the entire thing. She was staring blankly at the TV with remote in hand.

"I'm booored," she complained. "Can you go see if Miku is back yet?"

"Some people actually like to sleep at night," I said.

"Please?"

I stared at Rin for a moment before sighing in defeat. "Fine, but don't expect her to actually come over. She's probably tired."

I went outside and crossed my arms; there was a slight chill since the sun had gone down. I looked over to Miku's house, and with a jolt of fear, I realized the door was open, but no lights appeared to be on. My first assumption was that someone had broken in.

I ran to her house and almost ran inside before remembering that probably wasn't a good idea. Instead, I crept in slowly, taking great care to make as little noise as possible.

As I looked around, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the dim light, I realized I had only actually been inside Miku's house once, despite the number of times she had been in mine. This proved to be a worrying thought, as I had no idea where to hide if I needed to do so.

My senses went into overdrive as I heard a muffled sound. I slowly followed it, trying to figure out what it was. Then it hit me. It was Miku, and she was crying.

Something inside of me sank and I could feel adrenaline rushing through me. Was it possible that some guy had broken in and...? I shook those thoughts away, but hurried the last couple of steps around a corner until I finally saw her.

I withdrew back around the corner almost as soon as I had stepped forward, however, for fear that Miku would see me. I was on the verge of sighing with relief; though, because she seemed fine, other than the fact that she was crying. She was resting her head on her kitchen table, a cup of juice in her hand.

A cup of juice.

Yesterday I had come to her a little later than this to ask the favor. Yesterday, when she "wasn't really doing anything." Yesterday, when she had been drinking juice.

Had she been crying then, too?

Common sense started to take over, and my thoughts switched to whether I should leave and close the door she had carelessly left open, or if I should try to comfort her. There was one thing I knew: I couldn't just stand here like a stalker, listening to her quiet sobbing.

In order to comfort her though, I'd have to know why she was crying. Since I didn't know, and I decided it would still be incredibly awkward to reveal that I had just walked into her home, I realized that best option was to leave.

So I left, partially dazed, partially saddened, and partially relieved. After all, Miku had been fine, right? No one had broken into her house. But the whole image of this girl that I had looked up to, that I had respected, and that I had believed to be an incredibly self-confident and talented person, had just shattered.

"So she can't come over?" Rin asked sadly when I entered the house.

Momentarily forgetting the whole reason I had gone over there, I had to stop and think for a moment.

"Oh, no, she wasn't answering her door," I lied. Trying to avoid any other remarks Rin might want to throw at me, I hurried to my room.

What had Miku been crying for? Had something bad happened? Did someone she knew die? Had she done really bad on her song? Did some boy reject her?

That was silly; who would reject someone like Miku?

Deep down inside, I knew why Miku was crying. It was the same thing that was eating away at my confidence every day, something that would make my heart sink, something I had lied about to appear strong, something that just couldn't be avoided by anyone, apparently, no matter how much I had previously thought otherwise.

Insecurities.

Of course everyone had to have insecurities. It was silly to think someone could be so perfect, and so invincible.

And yet, finally realizing that Miku had insecurities...

...It somehow made her all the more...

...

Beautiful.

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**Up next:**

_**The Day I Couldn't Confess**_

**I'll try my very best to get in 1-2 more chapters before my school year starts.**


	4. Part 1, Scene 3

**Well, here you go. The last scene of Part 1. I'm sorry if it seems like Len's feelings developed really fast, I just didn't have enough space in the story for moments like that. Especially since Part 1 really only serves to set up Part 2 and 3. If you really want to enjoy little LenMiku moments, visit the tumblr blog Negibanana, from whence I got my inspiration.**

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**Part 1, Scene 3**

_ ~The Day I Couldn't Confess~_

On a certain day at the end of August, I found myself at the mall to celebrate Miku's birthday. It was only Rin and I accompanying Miku, but that was so that Meiko, Kaito, and the newest Vocaloid singer, Gakupo, could prepare a surprise birthday dinner. So far, Miku hadn't questioned why Rin and I were the only ones attending her "birthday," and I'd been hoping she wouldn't press for information, since I doubt Rin can keep a secret.

It was near the end of the trip when Miku found it. Something that she really desired. It was a simple necklace, in my eyes, but she expressed such a strong longing that I was surprised she didn't buy it, until I saw the price tag.

Well, all day I had been trying to act upon a desire of my own, and had been so far unsuccessful, so when that opportunity arose, I leaped on it, with no regrets. It wasn't until we were about to leave the mall for good that I took a deep breath and tried to brace myself inside.

Hesitantly, I reached out and tapped Miku's shoulder. Turning from the doors, she looked at me questioningly before her eyes wandered down to what I was holding in my hands, and shock spread across her face. She looked back up to meet my eyes, her mouth still open with unspoken words of gratitude that clearly shone in her features.

"I bought it for you," I said weakly, trying to make up for the uncomfortable silence I had somehow created. It wasn't uncomfortable in the normal sense; it was more like I knew what I wanted to do, but couldn't bring myself to do it, so that every passing moment became more and more pressured.

In the next instant, without warning, I suddenly felt Miku's warmth pressed against me and I let out a noise of surprise as her arms wrapped around me in embrace. In the most awkward possible manner, I'm sure, I returned the embrace, but my eyes were still wide from the astonishment. In the next moment, it was over, and Miku pulled away from me with an apologetic smile, twisting to the side nervously.

"Thank you," she said, with no explanation for the hug. My head was still trying to register what she had just done. Miku, the one who seemed so reserved in the way of affection, and so cautious as to whom she displayed such acts, had just...hugged me for getting her a birthday gift?

It was almost like a perfect cue, a signal, something to give me an opportunity for what I had been wanting to say all day.

But I was still frozen.

My confusion and anxiety must have shown on my face, because Miku began to look worried. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "Do you...not like hugs?"

I quickly shook my head. "Oh...no...I'm not offended or anything! I just didn't expect that..." I said nervously, rubbing the back of my neck where I'm sure sweat was forming. There was silence for a moment, and Miku seemed to be more and more expectant the longer I went without talking.

I finally blinked and remembered where I was. "I'll help you put the necklace on, if you'd like."

Miku seemed slightly disappointed when I finally spoke, thought I don't know why. She quickly recovered and nodded, pulling her hair aside. With utmost care, I focused on fastening the jewelry around her neck, noting the fact that my hands felt sweatier by the minute.

With an inward sigh of relief, I stepped back, and Miku went over to the window and squinted to check her reflection. As she beamed at her reflection, I noticed with dread that my own cheeks were red. Very red.

I looked away from the glass as Miku continued to take in her appearance, the girlish side of her no doubt taking over. My eyes wandered to Rin, who was studying me with a determined and curious expression. When she saw that I was looking at her, she smirked at me and glanced over at Miku before looking back at me and giving me a knowing nod.

I looked down at the floor quickly, feeling my stomach doing somersaults. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Miku coming over again, so I looked up and pressed my fingers to my cheek, as if I could wipe away the heat.

"Should we go now?" Miku asked, glancing back at the doors she had been about to exit before I interrupted.

"Uh, yeah," I managed to say.

"Hang on," Rin spoke up, "Can you excuse us for a moment?"

I looked at Rin questioningly, but I didn't have time to say anything before she pulled me away from the doors, and Miku took that as her cue to go outside.

"Why haven't you said anything?" Rin asked, staring at me intently.

"About what?" I asked, though my dread could answer the question perfectly fine.

"Miku! I've watched you staring at her all day; why haven't you said something to her?"

At first I had been thinking Rin was asking why I hadn't told her about it, but now I realized she was asking why I hadn't...confessed.

Feeling slightly ashamed, I looked down, unable to meet Rin's gaze. "I just...I can't...I don't know if she likes me..."

Rin twisted herself so that she was in my line of vision. "Hey," she said, making me look up again. "You want me to tell her?" she asked. "I mean, if it would be easier."

Girls are sometimes so unpredictable. "N-no," I said. "I really need to do it myself."

Rin gave me a concerned gaze. I guess when it came down to my love life, she really was concerned. "Well, you missed about ten chances today already, so I suggest you pick up the pace," she said. "But really, answer me before Miku comes back in looking for us, why can't you do it?"

"I don't know if I'm good enough for her. I mean, think about it," I said, finally letting go of my unsureness towards Rin. "She's one of the most famous singers of her day. She's practically the future of music. She has so many options; why would she choose me?"

Rin didn't answer me. Instead, she just left the question hanging as she nodded and turned to go out the door. I followed her in let down silence. We found Miku sitting on a bench outside, staring at the ground with a dazed expression as she absentmindedly twisted her necklace between fingers.

"We're ready to go now," Rin said cheerfully. Miku looked up with a blank look for a moment before smiling.

"Okay," she said, and stood up to walk to the curb with us. "Meiko should be here any moment to pick us up," she said, squinting in the sunlight. In less than a minute, Meiko did in fact drive up.

The ride home was fairly short. Meiko asked us how it was, and Rin and Miku happily provided her with a summary of the trip. I was left alone, giving me time to rehearse all the unsaid confessions in my head, knowing I wouldn't be able to do it.

When we arrived back at the neighborhood, Meiko led us all into her house, where we were greeted with the classic lights-out and utter silence that hinted a surprise party. Sure enough, as soon as Meiko flipped on the lights, Kaito and Gakupo jumped up from behind a couch yelling surprise and carrying a cake for Miku.

I snuck a glance at Miku as we all began to sing the obligatory "Happy Birthday" song. She was beaming, truly happy. I couldn't tell whether she was surprised or not, but her happiness seemed contagious, so I looked back at the cake and smiled to myself like an idiot.

The song ended and we made our way to the dinner table, where dinner was already set out; the cake could wait. Kaito and Gakupo escorted Meiko to a spot at the head of the table, even though it was only meant to seat four people, and was only used by one. Spare chairs had been thrown together to cram in enough seating for six, and the setting overall just wasn't the most formal. But then again, it wasn't supposed to be.

Rin, in her own devious ways, had managed to get me to sit down at the corner between herself and Miku. With a very non-subtle wink, she ignored my glares and started eating.

Everyone was fairly hungry, so it wasn't hard to let the silence slide as we ate. Eventually, Meiko, being a girl herself, seemed to notice Miku's necklace. To be completely honest, someone like me wouldn't know the difference if it weren't for the fact that I had given it to her myself.

"I see you've already received one present," Meiko said, nodding at the necklace. Miku glanced down before looking back at Meiko with a grin.

"Yeah, Len bought it for me."

Meiko shifted her gaze to me and raised her eyebrows as she took a sip of something that was no doubt alcohol. Feeling uncomfortable with the attention, I looked over at Rin. She was no help, being completely absorbed in her meal.

Thankfully, Meiko wasn't going to be cruel and leave the terrible silence ringing in my ears. "Well, I suppose now is as good a time as ever to give you my present," she said, getting up to briefly set her now empty dishes aside and retrieve her gift.

"Here's a bottle of sake, enjoy." Meiko walked over and handed Miku a bottle with a bow on it.

Miku smiled nervously. "Um, Meiko, I'm only sixteen," she said.

"I know, I'm just kidding," Meiko said lightheartedly, revealing a different item from behind her back. "Here's your real gift."

Miku accepted the gift and began to open in. All eyes were on her as she pulled the object out of the box.

"Oh, Meiko, thank you!" she said, looking from the mp3 player to Meiko. "How did you know I needed a new one? I didn't tell anyone."

"Let's just say a certain idiot was snooping in places he shouldn't be, but I used the information for good," Meiko said casually with a wave of her hand.

"Okay, now for my gift," Rin cheered. She reached into the purse she still had from the mall and handed Miku a thin rectangular shape wrapped in orange wrapping paper.

Miku opened it to find a video game that I'm sure she had looked at in the mall. Rin had spent a great deal of time in the video game store. Miku thanked Rin and then quickly rushed her dishes to the sink.

"Gakupo and I have gifted you with our fantastic cake," Kaito said.

Meiko stared in disbelief. "You didn't get her a present?"

"It really is a wonderful cake, full of time and effort," Gakupo stated matter-of-factly.

Meiko facepalmed. "You guys really are both idiots."

Miku laughed. "It's okay. I'm sure the cake tastes great. Can we have some now?"

Meiko uncovered her face and crossed her arms as she nodded, giving Kaito and Gakupo another look. I found myself smiling amidst everything. I could almost forget about my own troubles, but not quite.

"Um, Miku," I said quietly, as Meiko began cutting the cake at the kitchen counter. "After dinner, could we talk?" I asked, hoping this would be the hardest part. Miku nodded nonchalantly, thankfully not assuming anything out of the ordinary.

I couldn't really enjoy the cake, seeing how my mind was once again occupied with 'what if's and rehearsed lines. However, the time finally came that dinner officially concluded, and, true to her agreement, Miku met my gaze and we went outside and began to walk together.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Miku asked innocently.

This was it. This was the moment that I had to do it, but I couldn't rush it. "Have you ever thought about the future?" I asked. Maybe too broad, but I had to start somewhere.

Miku didn't say anything for a moment. "All the time," she finally answered.

"Mm. So..." I tried to think about where I was going with this. "What happens when you have to retire some day?" That definitely wasn't what I wanted to say, especially since I had always assumed it would be a touchy subject with Miku, with her having such a passion for her occupation.

"I don't really know," she said. "It's really uncertain. I don't always like things to be uncertain. Maybe that's why I think about the future so much. Maybe by thinking about it, I can pretend it's certain."

"Well, then, is there anyone you're certain you'd like to still like to be with in the future? Even after you retire?" I asked. Maybe it was too obvious.

Miku gave me a sideways glance before answering. "I know it sounds paranoid, but I don't know. I think I'm fine with being friends with you guys- Vocaloid singers, I mean - for a while. As far as having a family, I don't know if I could ever do that. I don't know if I could ever find someone genuine enough to like me for who I am, you know?"

"Oh," I said quietly. I looked up at the sky, trying to see if the moon was visible yet. "So, you haven't found anyone like that yet?"

"Well, I mean, I'm getting closer, I think," Miku said. "There is this one guy, but I don't think he's even interested in me."

My heart sank inside of me. So there was someone else. And if Miku was set on getting his attention, I wouldn't have a chance.

"Well," I said decidedly, "we should be heading back now, don't you think? It's starting to get dark."

"Sure," Miku agreed, and we walked back in silence. Miku went back to Meiko's house to retrieve her gifts, and I went to my own house. We parted with goodbyes, but that was it.

I met Rin inside, and she looked at me expectantly. I just shook my head, and she gave me a disapproving look.

Thankfully, she didn't try to say anything, so I wouldn't be pursuaded to abandon my decision. I had decided to forget I ever fell for Miku. No matter how much I ached for Miku to see me the same way I saw her, I could never force that on her.

I can't be with Miku.

That's the way it always will be.

* * *

**Ooo look at that last sentence. Now look at the title.**

**-Author cannot help herself- **

**-MUST. BE. OBVIOUS.-**

**Anyways, so now you know why Len and Miku drifted apart and had to re-meet in the intro. They're both TOO DENSE FOR EACH OTHER. Well, I'm going on vacation now; I'll start working on the first scene of Part 2 as soon as I get back.**

**Up next:**

**The Day We Reunited**


	5. Part 2, Scene 1

**Ahaha this was my fastest chapter yet. I've been itching to write this, so enjoy! To avoid confusion, please note that this is where the story picks up from the introduction.**

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**Part 2, Scene 1**

_~The Day We Reunited~_

"You've gotten taller," Miku said in a small voice, before laughing nervously.

Indeed, it was odd to be staring down at the girl I had always been eye to eye with.

I still couldn't believe I had just met Miku in the parking lot of the grocery store, not even 30 minutes after I had received Rin's 'good luck' charm. Part of me was almost relieved, and another part was worried.

"Why are you here?" I asked, and then cringed at how rude I sounded.

"Well, why are you here?" Miku asked, still looking slightly flustered.

I sighed. She should have to answer first, but since I had a good reason, I gave in. "I still live here. I never moved. Only Rin."

Miku's eyes widened. "You've been in the same house all this time...?"

Despite my resurfacing feelings for this girl, I was getting impatient.

"Yes, now answer the question I asked in the first place."

Miku opened her mouth to speak, but then didn't say anything for a long moment. Finally, she spoke. "I didn't think anyone still lived here...I just really missed this place...I wanted to remember old times," she said.

"So that's it," I said. "Bye, then."

"No, wait!" Miku said, as if I were already walking away, which I wasn't. Seeing my questioning look, she continued. "Ah, I mean, don't you want to catch up at all?"

Yes. A lot. In fact, I wanted to tell Miku to never ever leave ever again and stay here forever. However, there was a sinking feeling inside of me that told me if I talked to her, I would feel worse. After all, the only thing that could make my past disappointment more intense would be to repeat that disappointment in the present.

"I guess," I said aloud.

Smiling with renewed happiness, Miku took my hand and looked at me for confirmation. I looked away, and she hesitantly let go. Not intending that response, I forced myself to look back at her and take her hand back in mine. I knew her gesture was just in friendship, but I was wishing otherwise. Miku began to walk slowly, so I went along, waiting for her to say something to take my mind off of how warm her hand was, if that was even possible in this winter air.

"It's your birthday soon, isn't it?" Miku asked, and I stopped in surprise.

Miku was jerked to a stop, but just turned and looked at me expectantly. I nodded and continued walking. Guilt started to eat at me, because I couldn't remember for the life of me when her birthday was.

As I stared at Miku, trying to remember when her birthday was, I spotted the smallest bit of a necklace that had failed to be covered by her scarf. Once again, I stopped as recognition hit me.

"You know, the point of walking hand in hand is to walk at the same speed," Miku said, turning to me with an amused smile.

"Is that..." I tried to form coherent words, but they weren't coming out. "I mean, from..."

Miku looked down at where I was staring, trying to figure out what I was looking at. I reached out with my free hand to touch the little necklace, and Miku's cheeks turned red as she looked up at me quickly.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I liked it, you know."

Yeah, I did know. I also knew that if she still wore it, then she hadn't forgotten about me. Did that mean she remembered me everytime she put it on, or had it just become a piece of jewelry to her?

"You wear it everyday?"

"Just on special days, like this. You know, when I'm visiting my favorite neighborhood."

Butterflies fluttered inside my stomach, hoping that was a good thing.

Silence settled on us again, and we continued walking. I wasn't sure who was really leading the direction in which we were walking, but we both ended up walking along a sidewalk, so we just absentmindedly followed the path.

"So what have you been doing?" I asked Miku, trying to get out of my comfort zone a little bit.

"I'm still asked to sing at concerts every now and then," she said.

"Oh, me too." I should have guessed she would still sing. After all, she practically lived for singing, and with all the right intentions.

"When was the last time you saw Rin?" Miku asked.

"Actually, it was today," I said, recalling my encounter with Rin. "She was giving me a birthday present and trying to make me get a job."

"You don't have a job?" Miku asked.

"Not really...do you have a real job besides singing?" I asked, dreading her answer.

"I teach a kindergarten music class," Miku said, beaming. "But right now school is on break, so I don't really have anything to do."

Of course. Miku would have a job. I had been hoping she was in the same position I was, but of course she was too good for that.

"So what was the present you got?" Miku continued.

"Oh...a leek," I said, wishing Rin hadn't given me something so silly.

"Ooh, I love leeks!" Miku said.

I would have facepalmed if Miku hadn't still been holding onto my hand. Leeks were pretty much part of her display as a singing idol for the Vocaloid company. She loved leeks about as openly as Rin loved the color orange, as well as the fruit. "I know. There are probably a million people who know."

"Well, why did Rin give _you_ a leek?" Miku seemed genuinely curious and unsuspecting, so I decided it was okay to lie.

"I don't know. Rin is really weird sometimes."

Miku laughed. "I don't doubt that."

Silence again.

"Miku." I stopped walking, causing Miku to abruptly spin around. She looked at me questioningly, waiting for me to continue. My confidence fell away instantly, but something in Miku's gaze told me to go on. "What I've wanted to say..."

For a while.

"Is that..."

I love you.

"I kind of..."

Fell for you.

"I mean..."

I don't want to sound creepy.

"I..."

Can't seem to say it.

"Nevermind..."

I looked away, feeling my heartbeat hammering away in my chest. However, I felt Miku give my hand a gentle squeeze and I had to look back to see what her reaction was to my ramblings. Her cheeks were red, and her gaze was urging me on.

"Please...tell me what you were going to say," she said hesitantly.

"Please don't think it's weird!" I said quickly, knowing my words had to come out fast if they were going to come out at all. "I-I just...I love you!"

There it was. Out in the open. I had squeezed my eyes shut, and didn't dare open them now.

"Well, just so you know, I love you too!"

I opened my eyes quickly, and saw that Miku had squeezed her own eyes shut as well.

"So...we should...um..." I was feeling relief and anticipation crash over me at the same time, and my thoughts were a jumbled mess.

"We should kiss!" Miku said, a childish excitement in her voice as she looked up at me.

"Right..."

I took her other hand, so that the distance between us was quickly getting smaller and smaller, until I was staring straight into her eyes. She closed her eyes, and I just let my instincts take over.

Heh, after all, I had never even kissed anyone before.

"That was nice..." Miku said, after what felt like a 30 second adrenaline rush.

It was in that 30 seconds that I had decided on something that I realized I had wanted for a long time, even in Miku's absense.

"Hey, Miku?" I asked, feeling slightly giddy. "Can we get married?"

Miku laughed nervously. "You sound like a ten year-old," she said, but her smile disappeared when she saw my expression. "But...you're serious? Isn't that rather sudden?" she asked.

"Come on, Miku," I said, _feeling _like a ten year-old asking for candy. "It's not like we just met. I knew you for a long time."

Miku still seemed to have a hard time accepting the idea. "But...I don't think I'm good enough for you..."

...What?

"I'm always so immature and silly but you're so wise and realistic," she finished.

I felt the sudden urge to hug Miku, but ignored it. "I've always thought you were too good for me," I said, feeling my confidence build. "You have a job; you're doing something with your life. I'm doing nothing. You seemed so perfect, and even when I realized you weren't, I still felt so drawn to you...I wanted to be better so that you might notice me, but I was scared that you already had your hopes set on someone else."

Miku stared at me for a little bit. "So you really like me...just for me? Even after all these years, when our circumstances have changed?"

I was nodding furiously now. "I want nothing more than to be able to spend the rest of my life with you, to have you as a best friend, to...to...have a family with you..."

I was trying not to think about how creepy that might sound, but thankfully Miku was just smiling.

She was smiling so gratefully, and beautifully, I couldn't help but give her a reassuring smile back.

"Of course," she said softly.

"Of course what?" I asked, momentarily caught off guard.

Miku stepped forward and hugged me. "Of course I'll marry you."

...

"...I'm sorry I don't have a ring for you."

"It's okay, I can just wrap this necklace around my finger like this, see?"

* * *

**Silly Miku and Len. Probably one of the worst proposals ever.**

**Up next:**

_**The Day We Got Married**_


	6. Part 2, Scene 2

**Well school started, but I worked hard to finish this as fast as possible for you guys. It makes me smile to see your reviews and reactions to my chapters, so thanks! Things start to get a little more serious here...almost. Psh, forget Japanese weddings. Len and Miku get a Western wedding 'cause that's the only wedding I know xD**

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**Part 2, Scene 2**

_~The Day We Got Married~_

I stared at her, straight into her eyes, though I didn't overlook the necklace that hung around her neck. I could almost hear my own heartbeat. She was smiling, so I smiled too.

"We are gathered here today..."

I looked at the wedding oficiant and tried to stay calm and listen to the words he was saying.

"...to join together Len Kagamine and Miku Hatsune in matrimony; which is an honourable and solemn estate and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly."

In my current state, I was having trouble following the words, but I already knew what to do, so I just looked back to Miku for comfort. Her smile had dimmed slightly, becoming more solemn as we respected the words of the officiant. Into this estate these two persons present come now to be joined.

"If any one can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

There was silence. I looked over at the small crowd, made up of past Vocaloid members I had known, family, and Rin's friends that she had insisted should come.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

I looked out at Miku's parents, whom I had only met recently, having never met them before Miku moved away. Thankfully, they seemed extremely happy that Miku had found someone that would make her really happy.

Together, they said, "We do."

"Then the bride is given away."

It seemed kind of weird to say it like that, but then I realized that Miku's parents had just given Miku to me...she was mine if I wanted her.

I looked back at the officiant, and he was looking to me. "Len, do you take Miku for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy state of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I said, and realized with a smile how that answer could imply I was already doing so.

The officiant turned to Miku. "Miku, do you take Len for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy state of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," came Miku's joyful reply.

The officiant once again turned to me. "Please repeat after me. 'I, Len Kagamine...' "

"I, Len Kagamine..."

" 'take you, Miku Hatsune, to be my wedded wife."

"take you, Miku Hatsune, to be my wedded wife." I was getting shaky now, not with fear, but with excitement and happiness.

_" 'It is the greatest desire of my heart...' "_

_" 'to be faithful to you and to love you always...' "_

_" 'seeking to meet your every need...' "_

_" 'desiring to help you in every way...' "_

_" 'listening to you...' "_

_" 'encouraging you...' "_

_" 'comforting you, and standing by your side...' "_

_" 'in whatever circumstances may face us in the years ahead.' "_

_" 'I will respect you, honor you, and strive for harmony in our marriage,' "_

_" 'with a quiet and gentle spirit.' "_

When I finally finished my vow, I began to listen to Miku repeat the same thing, and I felt myself blushing at the sincerity of her words. When I had said the vows, I already knew what they meant; I had read them before, approved of them, and here I was just trying not to mess up. But when Miku said it, I began to think about it again, and found myself believing I could do my best for someone like Miku.

The vows ended, and Miku's ring was brought forward and given to me. The officiant began to speak again. "May this ring be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end."

I smiled at Miku, and she held out her hand for me to put the ring on. "With this ring, thee I wed. Wear it as a symbol of love and commitment."

The same process was repeated, and Miku gently slid my ring onto my finger, and as she spoke the words, a part of me was able to relax. We were almost done. Miku really did feel the same way about me as I did about her. She really did love me.

And I love her.

The officiant went through the next couple of minutes talking about our marriage, and to be honest, I couldn't pay attention. I was too absorbed in Miku's smile, in her genuine features, and I hoped my expression displayed the same.

"...Now, you may kiss the bride."

I didn't really have to look at the officiant to know he was talking to me. I gladly did as I was told, and heard the officiant start to speak as I pulled away.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the loving couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kagamine."

Polite applause was heard from the gathering, and I hugged Miku on impulse, relieved that it had all happened.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. The wedding reception, the little conversations to catch up with old friends, eating, [not] dancing. It seemed like it had only been five minutes when Miku and I found ourselves leaving for our honeymoon.

"We're married now," Miku said, grinning at me when we finally boarded our plane to Hawaii.

"Yeah," I said, still trying to take a hold of the concept myself.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, shouldn't we have some sort of plan? Like, should you get a job? Should we buy a new house of just live in the one you live in?"

I sighed. "You know, I think the point of a honeymoon is to get away from the problems and enjoy each other's company without any worries," I said.

"But I was also wondering..." she continued, her voice quieter. Then she shook her head, as if telling the thought to go away. "Never mind."

I looked over at her, and she seemed sad. I thought about asking her to speak her thought, but then I knew she'd be the kind of person to say something like, 'no, I already said never mind.' So instead, I tried to change the subject. At least a little bit.

"What did you think you would be doing when you grew up? Like, ten years ago, when you were at the height of your fame. What did you picture yourself doing?"

Miku blushed slightly and smiled to herself. "I don't think anything I pictured ten years ago could be as wonderful as what really happened," she asnwered. "What about you?" she asked, looking at me.

"...To be honest, I didn't think everybody would move away. I know I should have known things can't stay the same forever, but I didn't want to accept that. I guess that's why I had such a hard time when it really did happen."

"Oh..." Miku said. "Well, I mean, now you're happy at least, right?"

I smiled. "Yeah."

Miku turned back to face the seat in front of her. "Do you think anyone here knows who we are?" she asked.

I thought about that for a moment. "Maybe. It has been a while."

"How long? Eight-ish years ago was when our group broke up, right? I was twenty..." Miku said.

"Yeah, and I was nineteen, and my parents made me go to college," I said, recallling the day I thought would be the last I ever saw of Miku, and everyone else for that matter.

"You make me feel unsmart. All I did was go teach little kids."

"That's not a bad thing," I said, trying not to let Miku make me feel guilty for no reason. "Those kids loved you."

After we had formally gotten engaged, Miku had temporarily stepped down from her job as kindergarten music teacher so that she could get adjusted to a new life. I had been there when she said goodbye to her students, and they really did adore her. It made me feel lucky to have her.

"Besides," I continued. "It's not like going to school did me any good. I didn't get a job."

"Why didn't you?" Miku asked, sounding suddenly curious.

"I..." I stopped without even starting my thought, because quite honestly, I didn't know how to explain it. "After we all separated, and Rin moved out, I didn't want to accept that my career was over. I didn't want to accept that I would ever have to do anything other than sing, because I grew to enjoy it so much. It was with good intentions at first that I stuck to singing for small groups once in a while, but then I just kept digging my hole deeper and deeper, and couldn't bring myself to face reality, even though Rin did try her hardest to help."

Miku didn't say anything, so I looked over at her, and saw that she was facing me again, smiling. "I guess that explains why you seemed rude when we met in the parking lot. I thought you had changed, and I wanted to give up, but I knew the old Len had to be in there somewhere..." she said, a distant look in her eyes.

She refocused on me. "And then you saw this," she pointed to her necklace, "and I saw it again. I saw the shy Len, sometimes a bit slow, but always with good intentions," she said, her smile growing.

"So I haven't changed?" I asked, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Of course you've changed," Miku assured me. "You got taller, for starters," she said with a giggle. Then her tone became more serious. "I'm not sure I can describe it...but you just...became an adult, I guess."

"Well so did you," I said. A very attractive adult.

"I wish. I don't feel like one," she said regretfully. "I still feel like a kid. Is that just me?" she asked.

"No, I feel like that too," I admit. "I always saw people older than me and just assumed that they were so far ahead of me, but I guess maybe they all feel like this, but then they're forced to accept their age and that's when they really feel like adults."

"Hm. I don't know," Miku said thoughtfully. "Do you think now that we're married, we'll feel more like adults?"

I looked at her incredulously. "Really? You think the pair of us would act like adults?"

She laughed and I had to smile at her. "I guess not," she said. "Being married makes me feel secure, like I can never be pulled away from you again, but being married to _you_ makes me feel like it's just a best-friend-for-life relationship with an official vow and everything," she said, still laughing.

That was a nice thought. I hadn't been sure about it before, if Miku really thought of me as a good friend, because no matter how many times she genuinely smiled at me or started conversations with me, part of me doubted that anyone like her would actually want to be that close to me. Yet when she spoke the words like that, happiness filled me, and I wished I could reassure her that I felt the exact same way, yet the words wouldn't come out of my mouth.

"Yeah," I said, resorting to simple agreement.

Miku had stopped giggling and laid her head on my shoulder.

"Len," she said quietly, closing her eyes.

"Hm?"

"You'll always be with me, right?" she asked.

"Of course," I replied, not believing in any alternative. I looked down to see Miku with her eyes still closed, a gentle smile on her face. Deciding she was probably trying to sleep, I tentatively rested my cheek on her head and closed my eyes well. I felt her fingers reach for mine, and I truly felt as happy as I could possibly be.

Some time later, I awoke to the end of the flight. The next bit of time was spent navigating through the airport, taking a trip to the grocery store to buy some food, and finally heading to the hotel Miku and I would be staying at. At that point, I felt invincible. Nothing could bring my mood down.

I turned on my phone and was surprised to see a message in my inbox once we were comfortably unpacked in the hotel.

"From: Rin

GET SOME ;D"

"What does it say?" Miku asked, trying to peek at the phone's screen.

"Uhh, nothing," I said, aware that my cheeks were turning red. "Rin's just being...Rin."

"Oh, okay," Miku said cheerfully, apparently refreshed by the nap. Her facial expression changed to one of resolution in a split second. "I should make something for dinner," she said unexpectedly.

It dawned on me that I had been cooking my own meals for years, and curiosity rose up inside of me at the thought of how well Miku could cook. I had never experienced it firsthand, but I really hoped she hadn't learned from Rin.

She selected her ingredients from our shopping bags and I watched in mild interest as she attempted to cook with the portable appliances I had brought. I lost track of time, but when the result came about, I had to bite my tongue.

It wasn't that it was bad, it was just that, well, I knew I could do better.

However, I decided to save that thought for later. For all I knew, Miku enjoyed cooking and was trying her hardest, so I kept my mouth shut about it as we ate together. After all, I didn't want to spoil the week over something so silly.

After we had finished dinner and taken showers, Miku made an announcement. "I want you to play my guessing game," she said. "You have until the end of the week to guess, but you get bonus points for solving it sooner," she said.

I gave her a funny look. "That's an odd thing to say so suddenly," I said.

She paid no attention to my remark. "It's simple. Guess what I'm thinking."

"How am I supposed to do that?" I asked. "You could be thinking anything, and it could change."

Miku looked thoughtful for a moment. "Okay, it's a commonly recurring thought, and I told you, you have until the end of the week," she said, nodding.

I decided Miku was serious, so I tried to think of what she would be thinking. "I really have no clue," I said.

Miku seemed disappointed, but she shrugged. "Well, you can guess later, I guess."

I started to say something, but was cut off by Miku stepping forward abruptly and kissing me. It only took me a second to respond.

It's not like I object to _that_ game.

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_Later_

"I love you," I whispered to Miku in the dark.

"Ha, you guessed what I was thinking," she whispered back.

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**There you have it. Now you get to guess what the next chapter is about...**

**Up next:**

_**The Day We Could Never Forget**_


	7. Part 2, Scene 3

**Woah, that was so fast. I literally typed this all in about four hours total. I really wanted it to be up on Miku's birthday xD Happy Birthday Miku, may you ever live happily with Len in this story's universe :) Enjoy the next chapter!**

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**Part 2, Scene 3**

_~The Day We Could Never Forget~_

I was beginning to be concerned about Miku. She had been sick lately, and she wasn't as energetic as I was used to seeing her.

Of course she waved it off on most days when I expressed that concern, but today during breakfast, she addressed me with a look of determination in her eyes. Before I could ask why she looked so serious, she told me.

"Len, I'm pregnant."

I almost choked on the milk that I had been drinking. So, she was...we were...going to have a son or daughter?

"Ah..." was all I could say.

It was then that I realized how much she had been holding back in order to look calm. Her resolution broke down and I could see dozens of emotions in her face before she spoke again.

"Are you okay with that?" she almost cried.

My eyes widened. "Of course!" I said, reaching across the table to touch Miku's arm in reassurance. "It's what you wanted very much, isn't it?" I asked, trying to keep my own composure for Miku's sake.

Miku seemed to calm down slightly at that. "Yes, but...how did you know? I never even said it."

I smiled to comfort Miku further. "The way I've seen you look at the moms when they come to pick up the kindergarteners is so full of desire, I'm not sure anyone could miss it."

It was true. Since we only had one car at the moment, I dropped Miku off and picked her up from her job. I had seen her multiple times, watching the kindergarteners run to their mothers, since music was the last class. She would be standing in the doorway, smiling as they ran past, and when they were gone, her eyes would reflect some of the sadness she felt, but it would be gone by the time she turned to me.

Miku smiled, but tears came to her eyes. I was puzzled, and my smile faded. "What's wrong?" I asked.

She let out a shaky laugh. "Nothing, I'm just really happy," she said, before breaking down completely and beginning to sob into her hands.

Unsure of what to say, I rose from my seat and went over to wrap my arms around Miku, deciding I could wait to speak until she decided to say something else.

Ten minutes later, when she had calmed down again, she looked over at me with her tearstained face and smiled weakly. "I don't know if I can do this," she said.

"I'm sure you can. You're one of the strongest people I know," I said, meaning every word. "But...do you still want to go to work today?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm not incapable, so I should go to work for as long as it's safe for me. I won't skip to be lazy," she said, sniffing.

So the morning went on as normal, and I drove Miku to work, returning back to the house by myself.

We had been living in Miku's house, due to the fact that it was closer to the school than mine was. It turns out she was only living about an hour away from me the whole time we were apart. We still hadn't decided where we would live permanently, so Rin was regularly checking up on my house, since she was closer than we were. With Miku being pregnant, though, I wondered if she would quit her job, and I wondered if I to get a job quickly.

I had been looking for one, since I knew I couldn't be jobless forever, but nothing really appealed to me. I knew I didn't necessarily need to love my job, but part of me had decided that if Miku had found a job that she loved, I could too. Yet, now that Miku was going to have a baby, she would need time off her job, but we would still need money. I wouldn't be able to afford being jobless and depending on Miku to provide for us.

Not knowing where else to turn, I called Rin.

"Helloooo?"

The sound of her voice alone made me smile. So childish.

"Hey, Rin, do you have a few minutes to talk?"

"Of course," she replied, her curiosity obvious in those two words alone. She knew very well that I wasn't usually the one to initiate a conversation.

I didn't say anything for a moment, trying to figure out how to arrange my thoughts. I decided to start at the same place Miku had.

"Well, see, Miku is pregnant."

There was silence on the other end, and I wondered if I sounded insensitive or something.

"IT'S ABOUT TIME!"

I had to hold the phone away from my ear; Rin exclaimed the words so loudly. Yet I wasn't thrown off guard by her enthusiasm, so I continued my thought.

"I'm not sure what I should do," I said. "Do you think she should quit her job? Should I get a job?"

"First of all, I have no clue why you're asking me. But second of all, I have an answer of course."

I rolled my eyes. I was asking her for that very reason. No matter how much knowledge she had on the matter, she would always come up with some sort of answer, so as never to be outdone.

"Here's what you guys should do. Let Miku keep her job, whatever that is. I bet I know her almost or maybe just as well as you do, and I know that she's very stubborn, in a good way. She's not going to let you make her quit her job if even she's only capable of so much as just talking. As for you, find a job. Maybe just a part-time job, but find one. When Miku becomes more high maintenance, I'll be around to help you, you know?"

"You'd do that?" I asked, not expecting such a huge favor from Rin.

"My only condition is that you follow my advice."

"So then, I guess, since you're a girl, could you also please enlighten me on how to avoid getting on Miku's bad side while she's kind of...ah...having mood swings?"

"You can't."

Geez, that's optimistic.

"Trust me, if Miku is going to be in a bad mood, she's going to be in a bad mood. And there's nothing you can do about it. Though I've never actually seen Miku mad...anyways, if that occasion arrives, let her rant or whatever Mikus do when they're mad, and then she might cry, so let her do that too, and then she'll be fine again, and that's your window to say whatever you want to say."

"I didn't see you cry that often, but I know for sure you had mad outbursts all the time," I said, frowning.

"Eh, it changes from girl to girl. But Miku seems more delicate now, hm? She doesn't seem like she gets mad, but I suppose while she feels emotional she's more prone to sadness."

"Yeah..." I said, recalling this morning's events. "Well, thank you for preparing me for the inevitable, I guess."

"You should be really thankful I'm not pregnant. I'd probably be a lot worse than Miku, just saying."

I could honestly say that the thought of Rin being pregnant had never crossed my mind, and I really hoped it never would again. I don't think she could be trusted with kids.

"Thanks for the encouragement..." I said sarcastically. "I'm just going to hang up now."

"Ooh, it was such a short talk." I could almost hear Rin pouting. "But fine. Byebye, I will be waiting for updates~!" She sang the last few words cheerfully, though I wondered if by 'waiting' she really meant 'pestering you constantly.'

"Bye," I replied, and hung up. I knew I should be following Rin's advice, and thinking about and searching for a job, but right now, all I wanted to do was sleep. I knew that if I could clear my mind, it would be much easier to make decisions.

Pushing the guilt of being lazy aside, I set my alarm so I wouldn't neglect Miku, and I slept.

I woke up feeling very refreshed, and I was actually surprised I had slept all the way up to my alarm. I guess my body was more tired than I had thought, but nonetheless I got in the car and drove to the little school to pick up Miku.

She greeted me with a grin when I approached the doorway, but I was early as usual, so she continued to teach her eager students for the last few minutse.

When the class ended and everyone had cleared out, Miku walked to me and held my hand as we walked out of the building. Apparently the kids had put her in a good mood, but I was still wary of Rin's words.

"How do you feel?" I asked, as I had gotten into the habit of doing since her sickness started.

"I'm fine," she replied nonchalantly, but I caught a weird edge to her voice.

"Are you sure?" I asked, feeling uneasy.

"Yes!" she said sharply, and I took that as my cue to back off.

"Any ideas about dinner?" I asked, even though there was still quite a bit of time until we normally ate. I didn't want there to be a silence, but I had to change the topic to something neutral.

Miku sighed. "Not really. I just feel sick to my stomach all the time."

I tried to stay calm, but hadn't I just asked her how she felt? A part of me got annoyed, but I pushed it away best I could, knowing now was _not_ the time to start an argument.

"Okay, well don't feel like you need to cook tonight, or any night that you don't feel like it while you're pregnant. I'll cook enough for two tonight, but if you don't want any that's fine," I said, hoping that settled any problems Miku might not be telling me.

Miku didn't respond, lapsing into the same silence I was trying to avoid. Part of me felt like maybe she wanted to talk about the baby, but the other part of me argued that she might not want to make a big deal out of it right now. So, against better judgment, I brought it up.

"Hey, Miku, how important is having the baby to you?"

Miku instantly gave me a dangerous look. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

Oops. That question didn't sound right. I didn't mean to sound like I was trying to figure out how much I should care based on how much she cared.

"I mean, are you worried about it? Are you excited? Is it stressful? Do you think about it a lot, or does it just sit at the back of your mind?" I decided that asking smaller questions would probably be safer.

Miku sighed again, maybe in relief; I'm not sure.

"I guess I'm just really nervous. Nearly everything I see reminds me of it. Kids, couples, toys, even the back seats in cars. I'm really really happy to know I'll be a mother, but I don't know if I'll do everything right. I don't know whether I want to talk about it or not; what if talking about it just raises another worry? I try to push it to the back of my mind so I can focus, but I feel guilty, as if I'm neglecting my child already."

I nodded, understanding how Miku must feel, being the one who was actually carrying the child. She probably felt as protective as the child as I felt protective of her.

"But I think..." she continued. "Even if...it didn't...work out..." her words sounded hurt, and I hoped she wasn't about to make herself cry. "I think I could get over it. I think _we_ could get over it," she corrected herself, looking at me.

We had arrived at home, and we walked in together in silence. If this was how the next nine months was going to feel, I was tired already.

Miku lay down on the couch, probably just realizing how tired she was, and proceeded to fall asleep almost immediately. I watched her for a little bit, to make sure she was okay, and then got on my laptop to resume the ongoing search I had been doing for jobs, as well as searching for a little bit of information on pregnancies. I knew I wouldn't be able to go on without knowing some facts to reassure myself and be prepared.

An hour or so later, I began to make dinner, and busied myself in the kitchen as much as I could to occupy my thoughts.

Miku began to stir, but I didn't say anything to her, as I had learned to let her speak first after she just woke up. She didn't say anything though, and I realized when I glanced at her that she was texting, probably her own way of taking her mind off things.

My thoughts drifted off to wondering if she was worried about her figure. I didn't think that Miku being pregnant could ever affect how beautiful she was, but how she saw herself, I really didn't know.

My thoughts went back and forth like that, trying to put myself in Miku's shoes, but having no idea what she was really feeling, or if I was the only one worked up about all this. For all I knew, we were both hiding how much we were really thinking about it.

I comforted myself with a thought that perhaps the stress would go away after we had gotten used to the idea, but I knew deep down that it would only get more complicated after we had to start planning a future and making arrangements.

"Len. Your food is burning."

I heard Miku's voice and realized that it was in fact burning, and Miku was looking up from her phone with an amused smile on her face.

"I-I'm sorry...you're hungry, now that I burned it, aren't you?" I mentally scolded myself for messing up.

Miku laughed lightly. "No, I'll be fine. But Len, I was thinking..."

I gave Miku all my attention, forgetting about the food. When Miku thought about something, she usually wanted a good response.

"Do you still love me?"

"Of course," I said. Nothing that changed in our future could change how I viewed Miku.

Whether it's the past, present, or future...

That's the way it always is.

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**There you have it! The end of Part 2.**

**Up next (don't expect such a fast update next time)~ :**

_**The Day She First Saw Us**_


	8. Part 3, Scene 1

**Yay, I'm back. I know, I took a really long time to update. I'm sorry, it's just, well, school. TOO MUCH OF IT. But anyways, I finally put my head down and just wrote the chapter. We're coming down the home stretch now, so hopefully I can stay motivated. Reviews help, honestly, even if you only have a moment to say "Good job" or "I liked it" or something. Well, enjoy!**

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**Part 3, Scene 1**

_~The Day She First Saw Us~_

Nine months.

Nine months of pregnancy, and, hopefully, we were living out the last few days of it. The baby, a girl, would be born any day, or perhaps any hour, now. I myself was quite high strung, and though watching Miku constantly would feel like an exhausting task, somehow, sleep eluded me.

I made sure that Miku, on the other hand, was as comfortable as an expectant mother could be in the days right before childbirth. There was not a single request unheard by me, and not a moment went by that I did not watch Miku, wondering when that inevitable moment would arrive.

Of course, it just so happened that Miku wasn't the only high-maintenance girl I had been having to deal with for the past month. Rin, with a joyful urgency, had decided to move in with us in the last month, upon Miku's request and my somewhat worried acceptance. Though Rin had taken it upon herself to assume a mature disposition for Miku's sake, she could not help but ask Miku questions about the experience on a daily basis. It was only with utmost persuasion, when I had decided for sure that Miku needed rest, that I could get myself to pry those two apart.

Rin, when she spoke with me during this period, always seemed to be able to talk her way into garnering my sympathy, so that when she and Miku agreed on any request, however unreasonable it might have been, I was powerless to deny their wish; how could I say no to my sister _and _my wife? In this way, the house became littered with magazines, movies, video games, board games, books, drawings, pillows, blankets, and even silly things such as makeup and nail polish.

I was grateful for Rin, of course. As Miku became more tired, Rin could always be counted on to keep her company, because, though I am her husband and best friend, Miku just has moments when she needs a girl to talk to, which I guess I can live with, for just a few weeks.

While seeing Rin react to Miku's whims and moods can be quite amusing, it can also be alarming. As Miku has begun experiencing more pain, I've found myself expecting at any moment to have to rush to the hospital, but what worries me is that Rin seems to be even more tense. Even though I always thought Rin to be fairly laid back, she does have a tendency to over react even more than me.

Of course, just like Rin had advised me, I found a job, and it was one that I could do at home. I owed it all to Miku, though, because she came up with the idea just a couple of weeks after she found out she was pregnant. She realized that some of the kids she taught in her kindergarten music class had gone on to develop an interest in taking piano, but the closest piano teacher was still quite a distance from the area. So, with some help, I brushed up on my piano, which I had been quite talented at while singing for Vocaloid, put up some fliers, and waited. Miku also helped promote my business, in case the kindergarteners had an interest or had older siblings who were interested.

Surprisingly enough, even though I hadn't expected the idea to work at first, I got a couple of kids who were interested, scheduled times, and began earning a small income. Luckily, Miku had a piano in her house, knowing a few songs herself, so I could teach lessons in a separate room, but in the same house; I would be available to Miku at any moment if I was necessary, and occasionally, when she was up to it, she'd come in and sing in accompaniment to my playing, which delighted the students.

The second thing I did to earn some more money was to sell my own house. Miku and I decided that her house was a good place to live, and it had enough room for the coming baby, so I moved some of my furniture, arranged some business with a real estate agent, and within a month, the house was sold.

The past couple of days, in particular, had been very stressful. It was only three days ago that Miku's due date had passed, and Miku was growing very nervous. I didn't really see the big deal, seeing how that happens to lots of women, but she seemed worried, so I did my best to sympathize. By today, though, the anxiety has spread to Rin, and I'm about at my wit's end.

Miku lay on the couch, like usual, watching TV, with Rin sitting on the armrest, like usual, and I stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter.

"What if my baby doesn't come?" Miku asked suddenly, making me want to sigh in exasperation. Even though we had been through a couple of false alarms by now, it was silly to think that it wouldn't happen eventually.

While I was holding back sarcastic comments, Rin came to the rescue, sort of. "I don't think it's possible for it not to come," she said bluntly.

"But what if I'm just fat?" Miku asked, and she seemed terrified.

"You're not fat. You've felt the baby kicking before, too," I pointed out. "Doctors have given you ultrasounds of the baby. How much more proof do you need?"

"Oh, I guess you're right," she said quietly. She looked at her stomach for a moment. "But my due date already passed! She's supposed to be here by now."

This time I really did sigh. "That's not uncommon. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"But what if something goes wrong?" Miku asked, and began to cry. Rin stared at her with an expression that resembled fear and desperation, which would have been funny, if Miku weren't crying at the moment.

I know very well that Miku is perfectly healthy, and that if something went wrong, it would have to be really really bad for the doctors to be at a loss. "Miku, listen to me," I said, as gently as possible. "You're going to be fine. Soon enough, you'll go into labor, I'll take you to the hospital, and you'll have Rin and I to help you through it. The doctors will be very nice. They've done this a lot before. You're going to have the baby, and then we'll be happy, okay?"

Miku tried to shift to look at me, but then continued crying. I rubbed my temples lightly; Miku wasn't making this easy.

"I'm going to...be having...a baby..." she said, in between sniffs.

"Yes, and it's going to be beautiful, just like you," I said, resorting to a compliment-not to say that it wasn't genuine.

"Oh, how adorable," Rin said, clasping her hands together. I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. Usually she was a bit more dignified than this.

"Look, Miku, the baby might come tomorrow, for all we know. What's important is that you relax for now," I said.

"Have you guys even thought of a name?" Rin asked abruptly.

"Miku says she'll just 'know' when she sees the baby," I informed her.

"I think you should try to think of one before then," Rin said. "I need to know the name of my niece."

"Mikyu?" Miku suggested, fully recovered from her anxiety.

"That's almost exactly your name," I pointed out.

Miku frowned in thought. "Miu?"

"Still almost your name."

"But it's 'u' instead of 'ku' so it sounds different," she argued, but looked off in thought nonetheless. "Okay, how about we put some of your name in it, and make it Rikku," she finally said.

"We are not naming the child Leek," I said, repressing the urge to laugh. "Besides, that sounds more like Rin's name than mine."

"Well, she already gets your last name, and my name doesn't have much room for creativity, so how about we start from scratch?" Miku decided. "Hana?"

"It's a nice name," I said, considering it seriously. "It sounds gentle and sweet, and I bet she will be, just like you."

"Ah, Len, you've got to stop it," Rin said, smirking playfully. "You're showering Miku with way too many compliments."

"Well you wouldn't understand, since you're incapable of love," I retorted.

"Hmph." Rin crossed her arms and turned to the TV once again.

"Hana Kagamine," Miku said quietly. She was silent for a moment, and thought nothing of it, until she spoke again. "Len."

That was all she said. But I didn't even have to see the look on her face to understand what she was saying; the serious and scared edge to her voice said it all. She had said my name like that before. I met Rin's gaze, and without a word, she began to help Miku sit up, and I went over to help her get up and walk to the car.

This had happened before, of course, but regardless of whether it was a false alarm or not, I still had a sense of urgency within me as I sat in the driver's seat, with Miku next to me and Rin in the back, sitting forward so that her head was even with Miku's and mine.

"Do you think this will be it?" Rin asked, and I knew she was asking Miku, so as to distract her from the pain she was probably hiding from us.

I stole a glance at Miku; since she had stood up to go to the car, she had been breathing sharply, in and out, and I thought I caught her wincing in the moment I looked at her. Of course, that was to be expected, but quite frankly, the tension of everyone in the car was way too high for anything to be rational, and I felt afflicted, myself, to see Miku like this.

"I...maybe," Miku finally said, in a panicked voice. "Ah..." she said quietly, and I saw her shoulders tense. She must have seen me looking at her in her peripheral vision, because she turned to me and offered a smile. "I'll be fine," she said. Somehow, we all seemed to sense that this was it.

The next events happened in a blur. Entering the hospital, going to the doctor, finding out Miku was in fact in labor, being rushed to a room, where I followed, though Rin stayed in the hallway and occasionally made ice runs for Miku. Miku's parent's also showed up, and visited with Miku a bit.

After about an hour, I relapsed into a period of exhaustion, but at least with the exhaustion, I could finally let go of some of my stress, since I was just too tired to think about it. Thankfully, the process was progressing wonderfully, and Miku, though in pain at times, managed to stay calm.

I knew the whole thing could take over a day, so I prepared myself mentally, held Miku's hand, and lent myself to any task she might request of Rin or me. The doctor and nurses were in and out of the room, but I didn't pay much attention to them. I just spoke to Miku when she needed to be spoken to, and became silence when she wanted silence or when the doctor was saying something.

"Your sister wants to speak with you," the doctor said to me at one point, a couple of hours into the labor. I glanced at Miku for confirmation.

"Go ahead," she said, and smiled. I headed out into the hallway, where Rin was waiting for me.

"How is she?" Rin asked.

"Fine, I guess. I think she's handling it really well," I replied.

"So...I guess it is really weird to think about it," Rin said, looking down at the floor.

"Yeah..." I was unsure of what to say, but I guessed that Rin was finally coming to terms with the fact that Miku was really having a baby, something that Miku herself had come to terms with multiple times, and those times were usually accompanied by dramatic mood swings.

"Does it feel weird to you?" Rin asked, glancing at me.

"I...I think it's more of a happy feeling..." I started, looking at the door to Miku's room. "I'm worried for Miku, I guess, in a protective way, but I'm positive she'll be fine, and the baby will be fine...so I just start to imagine what life will be like...and it overjoys me and terrifies me at the same time, if that makes any sense."

"It does," Rin said. "Of course, I'm going to be Hana's best aunt ever," she said proudly. "That is the name you two liked, right?"

"You're the girl's only aunt ever," I said, rolling my eyes. "And I think so, unless Miku sees the kid and suddenly has an inspiration for a different name. I do like Hana, though."

"Hana," Rin repeated, then grinned. "I will make sure that my dear brother's daughter is well taken care of!" she said decidedly.

I exhaled sharply at Rin's skepticism of my ability to take care of my own daughter. "You can't spoil her," I said.

Rin stuck out her tongue in a very childish manner. "Just you wait," she said playfully.

After that, Rin and I exchanged a few more comments, then I returned to Miku to wait out the final hours.

Despite the fact that this was one of the biggest events of my life, I couldn't focus on my surroundings enough to remember further back than ten minutes at a time. Maybe it was because I lacked sleep, or maybe it was because I just couldn't comprehend what was happening. Either way, the hours passed, with my encouragements to Miku being the only way I could try to comfort her, as well as myself, in such a situation.

Then, I heard her for the first time. My daughter.

Miku's expression was exhausted, but when the child was laid against her skin, such fondness shone forth from her eyes at the child that I couldn't help but smile too. She had finally done it.

"Hi Hana," Miku said softly. In that moment, I was probably the happiest guy alive.

* * *

**And there you have it. I know some MikuxLen shippers have come up with names for their child, which I did include, but I liked Hana, so that'll be her name in this story. Also, I have absolutely no experience on childbirth. I had to read quite a bit about it. If my mom saw my internet history she'd be like, "...Is there something you need to tell me?..."**

**But anyways, thanks for your time. Here's a random fun fact: My headcanon for this story (which I suppose makes it canon, though I don't mention it within the story) is that Miku and Rin both have the same length hair as adults: a little bit longer than shoulder-length.**

**Up next:**

**The Day She Was Taken From Us**

**(_It's not as bad as it sounds I promise!)_**


	9. Part 3, Scene 2

**Hey guys, I'm actually back with another chapter! (What a miracle.) See I basically rewrote this chapter over and over because I knew where I wanted to go with it, it just never turned out right. But now I'm pretty happy with the result, so I hope you enjoy it!**

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**Part 3, Scene 2**

_~The Day She Was Taken From Us~_

"Hey, Miku, have you seen my hair-tie?" I asked my wife, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I glanced over to her just as she stopped brushing her hair to look around on the bathroom counter for a moment.

"Mm...no, don't you have more than one?"

I frowned in disgust. "It's not like I break them all the time like some people," I said, looking into the mirror and giving Miku's reflection a pointed look. After she gave a sheepish smile I looked back at my own reflection and sighed. "Can you just give me one of yours, then?"

Miku put down her hairbrush while nodding, and looked into a drawer for a moment before selecting a brown hair-tie. I reluctantly put my hair up just as I had done nearly every day of my life. I'm not the type to lose such items that I use everyday, so it irked me that I could manage to misplace a hair-tie.

I stood still for a moment, absentmindedly watching Miku start to put on touches of makeup. "Do you think Hana is up yet?" I finally asked her.

"Perhaps, but if she isn't, you wouldn't want to wake her. Let the child sleep in on her birthday," she replied.

"Do you remember being six? I couldn't ever sleep past seven in the morning," I said, turning to Miku.

"Well, you were lucky then, because I've been craving sleep since I was born," she said, emphasizing the tired edge to her voice.

"I guess Hana's taken after you then," I said, and left the room to check if she was indeed still sleeping.

I wandered down towards her room, only to see the door still shut and darkness still spilling from under the door.

I headed back to the master bedroom and pulled on a shirt before sitting down at my laptop. This was a fairly normal day, though it was my daughter's sixth birthday, which made me feel horribly old. Much to my annoyance, Miku still looked young, though I can't say that's the worst problem I can think of.

"She wanted to go to the park today, right?" Miku asked, and I felt her hand touch my shoulder. I looked up at her.

"Yeah, and since it's eight 'o clock and she still isn't awake, it'll probably be best to make it a picnic.

Miku's face lit up and she clapped her hands. "Ah, this is one of the tiny reasons I love being a parent. I never had time to go on picnics when I was young."

I gave her a skeptical look. "That's because you didn't go easy enough on yourself. If you had made time, you could have gone. The only reason you have time now is because you make time, because it's for your daughter. I think you care more about Hana than you do about yourself."

"Well of course I do!" Miku insisted, her face darkening into a childish frown of indignance. "You should too."

"Care about her more than you or myself?" I asked, smiling in spite of myself.

"Eh? Well of course you should care about your wife a lot, but I don't mind if you care about Hana more..." Miku said, looking down.

I shook my head and stood, pulling Miku into a quick hug. "The type of love I have for both of you is different, but I still care about you both very much."

I knew Miku was probably smiling as she returned the hug; after all, I didn't tend to say things like that very often, but today I was in an especially good mood.

After another hour and still no signs of Hana, Miku began to look anxious, and I couldn't say I blamed her. The last time Hana slept in this late, she was extremely sick.

"Should I go wake her and see if she's okay?" Miku asked me worriedly.

I inwardly cringed. I really hated to wake my daughter, especially on her birthday, but I knew that if she was sick, she would need to be attended to. "I guess so."

I sighed as Miku left. Not even thirty seconds later, Miku ran back to me, looking very distressed.

"Is she sick?" I asked, feeling bad already.

Speechless, Miku just shook her head. "She's...gone..." She said blankly, as if she was trying to figure out if she was dreaming.

"Gone?" I asked skeptically. I wasn't sure what Miku meant by this, so I walked down to the room myself.

She meant gone.

"Who could have taken Hana without us noticing?" I asked as I came out of the room. The reality of the situation wasn't registering with me quite yet, but I could see that wasn't a problem with Miku, who had sunk to the ground and begun to sob.

As much as my brain kept trying to assume the worst, I knew I had to think logically, and the best way to hinder that is to get emotional, so I had to stay calm.

"Okay, Miku, I know you feel scared, but you have to help me think. Did you hear anything last night?" Miku looked at me and weakly shook her head.

"Is there any visible damage done around the house?"

Miku looked around, and I as well. From where we were, we could see the front entry way, and there didn't seem to be amiss. I walked over to the front door and tried to turn the knob. It was still locked.

"Okay," I said, turning back to Miku. "If they didn't break in..." I trailed off, realizing something. I shook my head and walked back past Miku, and went straight to Hana's room.

Of course. In our panic, we had only noticed that Hana was gone. The bed was straightened, and nothing was out of place. Obviously she hadn't been forcefully taken. I stared harder at the bed, and finally noticed a little slip of paper resting on the sheets.

"What is it?" Miku asked quietly, and I turned to see her behind me.

I held up the paper, annoyed. "Let's read and find out, shall we?"

With Miku next to me, I read the message fairly quickly. It wasn't very complicated.

_I'm taking Hana. We're gonna go shopping :D So don't call the cops or anything, kay? -The Great Rin Kagamine_

"I really _should_ call the cops," I mumbled. Miku looked up at me in horror.

"Don't do that! She's your sister. But maybe you should revoke her key to our house..." Miku said.

"Well, we can do that after we find her. She no doubt took Hana to the mall. I'm just wondering how early she came here in order to take Hana without us noticing," I said.

Technically, the mall was about halfway between our house and Rin's, so it was an easier drive than if Rin had taken Hana to her house, so I was a bit glad for that. Still, Rin had no right to take Hana with no warning like that.

"Should we go now, then?" Miku asked. "If there's one thing we both know about Hana, it's that she wouldn't choose to go shopping on her birthday."

It was true. Whether it was because of my influence or because she was similar to me, Hana had aquired a certain trait of not desiring many things, which was nice in one respect: we could be sure she would make responsible decision with her money in the future. On the other hand, though, she almost never asked for _anything_, which made it hard to buy presents. Rin interpreted this as me being 'too strict,' which is probably why she felt like she had to steal Hana to take her shopping.

After Miku fixed up her makeup, we were on our way, and my annoyance gradually subsided over the drive, which was probably a good thing for Rin.

Eventually reaching the mall, I figured it was safe to call Rin to ask her where she was. Since we were already in the mall, she would probably give up instead of trying to run away to her house or something. After calling her three times, she finally picked up.

"Hello?" came her voice, and I could almost picture her sheepish smile in being found out.

"Where are you, Rin?" I asked, trying to convey how serious I was. "Miku and I already in the mall, by the entrance, so don't try to make any escape dashes or something silly."

"Hmph, you're no fun. Well, fine, I'm in the video game store, and you'll be happy to know I found something that Hana finally likes. She takes after me in her passion for video games," Rin said proudly.

"I don't think it's possible for her to 'take after you,'" I said, already walking quickly towards the store Rin had mentioned. "If anything, she's just 'interested in video games.' It doesn't have anything to do with you," I said, not willing to believe my daughter could be anything like Rin. Besides, she was the spitting image of...

I hung up the call. Rin stood before me at the entrance of the store, hands on hips. She stuck out her tongue at me as a little girl with teal hair put up in odango buns walked out from behind her. The girl stared up at me with blue eyes, recognition dawning on her face. She grinned as she ran foward to hug me and then Miku.

"Mama! Are we still gonna go to the park?" Hana asked Miku eagerly. Miku bent down to look Hana in the eyes.

"Of course, and we were thinking about making it a picnic, too."

Hana's smile grew even bigger, which made me smile in spite of what I wanted to say to Rin. Rin looked from Hana to me, and, feeling her stare, I looked over at her, and our eyes met for a moment.

"Can I come too?" Rin asked, smiling innocently. I stared hard at her, really wanting to say no, but knowing Miku and Hana would probably be fine with it. I sighed.

"Fine," I said. "But only if you explain yourself."

Rin giggled. "I wanted to get Hana a gift, but I figured since you wouldn't tell me what she wanted, I'd have to get her to tell me myself." Rin frowned for a moment. "Of course, I had assumed you were just being no fun, but I guess she really doesn't want anything. But no worries, I will introduce her to the world of video games and show her that there is so much more beyond the pretty pictures!" she said, holding up a game that she had no doubt just purchased. "But I suppose you must have a present for her," she added, squinting at me suspiciously.

"Yes, but that's only one thing, and it's special," Miku spoke up, inadvertently brushing her hand near her neck.

"Well, since I'm done here, and Hana has no interest in shopping for fun, I guess trying to spoil her will be no fun. It's already 10:30, so I suppose if you wanted to take a picnic trip, we ought to be going then?" Rin suggested. I sighed at how bossy she was being, but I knew she was right.

"I guess so, but I have one more question," I said, looking at Rin. "How did you even get her to come with you?"

Rin smiled mischievously before ruffling her bangs and putting her hair up in a hair-tie that was around her wrist. _My_ hair-tie.

"It's not that hard," she said, mimicking my voice. "Especially if it's dark and you're whispering," she added, lowering her voice to a whisper that I had to admit, did sound like me. I crossed my arms and looked down.

My gaze drifted to Hana as she pulled lightly on the edge of my shirt. She cupped her hands around her mouth, so I bent down and she began to whisper in my ear.

"I knew it was Aunt Rin, Daddy, but Mama always told me to be as nice as possible to her because you're not nice to her."

"_I'm_ not nice to _her_?" I said aloud, straightening up and looking in disbelief at Miku, who pretended to be interested in something in the opposite direction. Rin looked briefly confused before shrugging.

After another moment's pause, I sighed and initiated the walk back out of the mall. By 11:00, we had arrived at home, packed lunches, and, with Rin, departed for the neighborhood's park, which was a lovely place at this time of year.

We spread out a blanket down on the grass near a creek and put down the lunches for later. There was a little area with picnic benches for such an occasion, but Hana always liked to sit next to the creek instead. After setting up, Rin and I sat back to watch Miku and Hana try to catch little moths that fluttered about the small expanse of grass before us.

"So she's six now, huh?" Rin asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, she's going to be starting elementary school this fall...and I'm afraid she's going to grow up way too fast after that," I said quietly.

"Oh, don't be such a downer," Rin said, leaning over to push my shoulder lightly. "At least you've got a family..." she said, glancing out at Hana and Miku playing. "I'm just kind of wasting my life right now."

"Ah, now you're being the downer," I joked, though my heart did sink at Rin's words. I knew exactly how she felt; it was how I felt before I met Miku again. I wondered if she had felt that way all this time...and just didn't show it. Rin seemed to be saddened by her own words too, because when I looked at her, her face displayed that clearly.

"Hey, listen," I said, sitting up to look over at Rin clearly, who returned the gaze. "You're not incapable of love; I know that much. Weren't you even dating that one guy for a while when we were younger?" Rin's cheeks showed a faint blush for a moment, but it disappeared. "If you want to stop wasting your life, figure out what makes you happy," I continued. "If you can't find what makes you happy, I promise Miku and I will always consider you a best friend. You can always count on us to be there for you no matter what, okay?"

Tears welled up in Rin's eyes before she pulled me into an abrupt hug. I felt her body tremble and tears drip onto my shoulder. She squeezed me tighter and I returned the hug gently.

After a couple of moments, Rin pulled away slowly and wiped away her tears. "Eh, you're...way too nice...sometimes," Rin said, continuing to wipe at her eyes.

"It's just that...I quit my job. And now I don't have a steady source of income. But I really didn't like my job," Rin said, looking at me.

Rin had a job at a convenience store for a long time, which, to me, didn't seem that bad. But I guess to Rin, it just wasn't what she enjoyed.

"Well, did you say you were quitting? Or did you tell them something ambiguous and just don't plan to show up again?" I asked.

"I told my boss that I wanted to take a break to figure out some things in my life...but yeah, I didn't really plan on going back permanently..."

"Hey Rin, have you ever thought about being a teacher?"

"Hm? Not really...do you think that would be a good job for me?" Rin asked curiously. "I didn't really like school," she said distastefully.

"Well," I said, thinking, "From what Miku's told me, the more you can think like a kid, the more fun it is. And besides, I think being strict towards kids might make you a little bit more mature, which could be a good thing," I said, laughing.

Rin giggled and looked at me for a moment. "I'll think about it," she said, tilting her head a bit. I looked back at the field just in time to see Hana running back towards me with Miku walking not far behind.

Hana sat down quickly next to me and eyed the food we had brought. "Hungry?" I asked, and she nodded forcefully.

After we had distributed and eaten the packed lunches, Miku handed each of us a cupcake, which she had baked the day before in honor of Hana's birthday.

I found myself smiling, rather than eating my cupcake, at the sight of Hana's delight. She didn't often get something like cake, so it was a welcome surprise to her. Eventually I just gave mine to Rin, who, despite eating way too much in my opinion, never could seem to put on any weight.

"Do you want your gift from us now?" Miku asked Hana, after we were all finished. I could sense the nervous excitement in Miku's voice; I knew how much the gift meant to Miku, and how much she hoped it would mean to Hana.

Hana nodded innocently, and Miku handed her a small box, wrapped simply, and tied off with a little teal string.

Curiously, Hana pulled the string off and unwrapped the gift. When she opened the box and peeked inside, a small smile grew on her face. She glanced up at Miku, and then down at the gift.

"It's Mama's necklace," she said softly. Miku nodded, smiling.

"It's very special," Miku said. "Your daddy gave it to me when we were younger. And now I want you to keep it, and wear it whenever you want to feel special. And then, if you have a daughter one day, you can give it to her, mm?"

Hana nodded obediently, and Rin clapped her hands happily. "How cute," she said, to no one in particular. "It almost makes me want a daughter of my own."

I looked at Rin with a playful smirk.

"Eh, what?" she asked, glancing away. "It's not like I'm gonna actually get married and have a family."

"Whatever makes you happy, remember?" I said. I turned back to Miku just as she hugged my arm and leaned her cheek on my shoulder.

"Yes, that's good advice," she said softly.

* * *

**One more chapter remains...I'm kind of sad. Rin got some extra time in this. I think she deserved it. I was actually thinking about continuing this from Rin's point of view, but unfortunately I'm in way over my head with unfinished stories. Maybe one day in the distant future I'll do it... But I've enjoyed this story, and I hope you have too. I'll try to get the final chapter up as soon as I can~**

**P.S. Synchronicity 3 came out today omgomgomg**


	10. Part 3, Scene 3

**With great pride, I now present...**

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**Part 3, Scene 3**

_ ~The Day She Showed Us the Truth~_

"Hey Mama?"

Miku tilted her head slightly to the side, not completely neglecting the food she was preparing on the stove in front of her.

"Can Yuma come over for dinner?"

"Mhm," came Miku's absentminded answer.

"Yes!" Hana cheered, and I looked up from my computer in time to see her hop a few times in excitement.

I knew Yuma was Hana's classmate whom she had met at the beginning of her first year of junior high; I had seen him a couple of times walking home with Hana and her other friends. Beyond that, I was fairly uninformed about Hana's social life.

"Len?" I heard Miku call as Hana ran past me and up the stairs to her room, probably to call Yuma.

"Yeah?" I acknowledged her as I got up to join her in the kitchen, assuming she needed me to help with something; however, she only wanted to speak to me.

"I also invited Rin to come over tonight, but I don't think she or Yuma will mind each other. If I know Rin, she can make friends with anyone, especially if it's a child. And Yuma is shy, but if there's any combination that would make him comfortable, it's probably Hana and Rin."

"And why didn't you tell me sooner than now?"

"I figured you might have time to think about complaining if I told you sooner," Miku said nonchalantly, but she smiled at the food as she spoke.

She was probably right. I wasn't initially averse to the suggestions of Rin's visits, but after a couple of days of thought, the positive thoughts would give way to some less favorable memories and Miku would have to deal with my skepticism and pessimism.

"Is there any special occasion?" I asked, moving towards the refrigerator to get some water.

"I don't think so. But Rin always has something to say, so I doubt dinner will be quiet."

"So what time is she coming?" I glanced at my watch out of habit.

"Well, it's not like Rin to adhere to her word or be punctual, but I'm going to guess that Yuma will arrive before her, even though he has to walk."

"Run," Hana corrected from above us. I looked up to find the source of her voice, and saw her leaning over the stair railing.

I raised my eyebrows. "Run? What's he in such a hurry for?"

"I dunno, but I can see him out my window," Hana continued, walking down the stairs. "Did I hear you talking about Aunt Rin?"

"Yes, she's coming over as well as Yuma," Miku explained.

"Oh! I told him about her. Now he'll get to meet her. Daddy, have you ever met Yuma?" Hana was at the front door now, but had turned towards me temporarily.

"No I haven't, so you'd better make sure he knows how to behave, so he makes a good first impression."

Hana laughed before turning back to the door. No more than thirty seconds later, the expected knock was heard, and Hana opened the door quickly. "Hi Yuma!" she greeted the figure in the doorway, before backing away to give him space to enter.

"Hey," I could hear him say quietly.

I stepped out of the kitchen to leave Miku alone to her work and saw Hana lead Yuma to the living room, where I had previously been working on my computer. Before sitting down, Hana took notice of Yuma's nervous glances at me and took it upon herself to introduce us.

"Yuma, this is my dad. Daddy, this is Yuma." Yuma gave me a small nod, and I offered him a smile in return.

"Nice to meet you, Yuma," I said, going out of my way to be friendly. After all, my daughter didn't usually bring friends home, and it was good that she had finally taken the initiative, though there were some alarms going off in the very back of my thoughts.

"Nice to meet you too, Sir," he replied in his quiet voice. In a way, this kid almost reminded me of myself, even though his looks advertised him as more of the rebel type. However, I hadn't seen anything so far to confirm this.

Another knock sounded on the door, and I immediately headed back to open it for our other guest. I heard Hana start to tell Yuma that Rin was coming over as I opened the door, and sure enough, there she was.

"Hi Len," she said fondly, before giving me an obligatory greeting hug. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good, I guess," I replied. Rin certainly looked like she was doing well. She was fashionable as always, but in the last few years, ever since she had decided to pursue a new job, there was definitely a warmer happiness to her that seemed to have taken over her childish glee that she had retained for so long.

It didn't take long for Rin's attention to turn to Hana and Yuma. "Hey Hana. Who's your boyfriend?"

"Rin!" I wheeled around to face the smiling culprit.

"He's not my boyfriend," Hana retorted.

"That's what they all say," Rin said under her breath so that only I could hear. I resisted the urge to glare at her. "Well, what's his name?"

"Yuma," Hana replied, glancing at the boy. His expression hadn't changed since the initiation of the conversation, which made it hard to tell what his opinion was on Rin's assumption.

"Dinner's ready," Miku called, interrupting the chat.

"Oh good, I'm starving," Rin remarked, before leading the procession to the dining table.

For the first few minutes, everyone was busy eating, but after the initial stuffing of faces had died down, Rin was, of course, the one to start up a conversation. "So, Yuma, how did you meet Hana here?"

Rin _would_ take a special interest in Yuma. I began to question Miku's idea that he'd be most comfortable with Rin and Hana.

"At school. During lunch," he said.

"A man of few words. Hm," Rin mused. Yuma looked the slightest bit disconcerted at her assessment. "Hana used to be shy like that, but then she went to school and now of course she's a perfect social butterfly, like me," Rin stated proudly.

Hana started to say something, but just then Rin noticed a certain detail.

"Ooooh, you're wearing that necklace?" Rin looked delighted at her observation. Immediately, everyone turned towards Hana to see what Rin was talking about, though I already knew.

Pleased with the reaction, Rin continued. "I remember when your dad gave that to your mom."

Hana had, of course, heard this story, but Rin was never one to waste a fresh audience, so, directing her look to Yuma, Rin smiled as if she held some sort of special knowledge.

"It was an expensive necklace," Rin went on. "Mi-Mrs. Kagamine could have afforded it. She was a star back then. She had all the money in the world. But, being such a wise person, she never gave herself up to temporary impulses. Oh, how she admired the necklace. I bet we spent at least twenty minutes just staring at the necklace itself."

Miku giggled at Rin's embellishments. "Rin, are we talking about me or you?" she asked, smiling.

"Ok fine, we were just browsing through the mall and you liked the necklace. It's not going to sound as great if I set it up like that though," Rin pointed out. "Anyways," she said, turning back to Yuma. "Mr. Kagamine here thought it would be a great idea to buy that necklace for Mrs. Kagamine, or as she was known back then, Miku Hatsune. So, after I had taken her to the next store, Hana's dad here went and bought that necklace."

"He was just buying me a birthday present," Miku pointed out. "I don't see why you enjoy this story so much."

Rin took no notice of Miku's comment. "He held onto until right before we were going to leave, and then he surprised Mrs. Kagamine with it. Did I not mention it was her birthday? Well, it might as well have been Mr. Kagamine's birthday too, because she just went and gave him a big hug right then and there. You should've seen the look on his face..." Rin paused the story to laugh at the memory.

I took the opportunity to put in a comment of my own. "She just liked the present..."

Rin gave me a skeptical look. "So afterwards, as I've been told, Mrs. Kagamine wore that necklace on every special occasion, because the necklace was special. For a long time though, after they went their separate ways, they didn't see each other. But with some help from a specially fashioned good luck charm-"

"You bought a leek at a store. That's not 'specially fashioned,'" I interrupted.

"Hush, Len. Anyways, on one fateful night, they met again...and guess what? Miku-I mean Mrs. Kagamine-was wearing that necklace, and Len realized he loved her. Imagine that. Well, long story short, they kissed, got married, had Hana, and now the necklace has been handed off to her to wear on special days."

Yuma had been listening with full attention the whole time and now he tore his eyes off Rin to look at the necklace again.

"Maybe she wore it tonight because you were coming?" Yuma suggested.

Rin waved the idea off with her hand. "Please, she didn't know I was coming. Hey Len, when did Hana put the necklace on?"

Even though I did happen to remember that Hana put it on after I told her Yuma could come over, I was not about to admit it. "Why would I remember?" It couldn't be a lie if it was a question. Miku gave me a funny look. She was practically a polygraph, with how accurately she could detect the slightest divergence from the truth.

There was silence for a moment as everyone finished up their food, and as soon as she had put away her dishes and Yuma's, Hana led Yuma over to the piano that was in the living room. Miku, Rin, and I stayed at the table, watching the two children take turns playing songs that they knew.

"How old is he?" Rin asked, propping her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands.

"Thirteen, I believe," Miku replied.

"And Hana's twelve?"

"Mhmm."

"That's not much younger than you and Len were when you met," Rin remarked.

For a moment, all was silent except for the piano. It was one of Hana's favorite songs, and Yuma was playing it for her while she watched with a delighted smile.

"And they do kinda look like you guys," Rin continued.

"I definitely don't have pink hair," I said flatly.

"Not like that, silly," Rin said, rolling her eyes at me. "Like, always smiling at each other and being cute and such."

"I don't do that," I said, crossing my arms and staring at the table.

"Oh please," Rin said, nudging my with her elbow, causing me to meet her smug gaze. "I don't think I could count all the times I saw you staring at her with a silly smile on your face."

"Wait, when we were kids?" Miku asked, looking confused. "He did that?"

Rin's face instantly went blank. "Are you telling me you didn't know?"

"She didn't like me then, why would she care?" I asked, looking back down at the table and feeling slightly downcast at the memory.

I could feel Rin's stare as she switched her gaze from me to Miku. "Are you guys kidding or something?" she finally asked in disbelief. After a few moments, she seemed convinced. "You really were completely unaware."

_"There is this one guy, but I don't think he's even interested in me."_

Oh.

Miku and I stared at each other blankly for a moment, before she started to giggle. I couldn't help but smile a bit myself as she closed her eyes and continued to laugh while shaking her head.

Rin was still dumbstruck. "You guys are both idiots," she said, giving me a playful slap on the back of the head. "I knew you should have confessed when you gave her the necklace. Miku, didn't you even get a little hint then? I mean, the guy gave you _expensive jewelry_ for crying out loud."

Miku stopped laughing for a moment and looked shyly into her lap. "I mean, it gave me hope...but then after that he just sort of..." she drifted off and looked at me. "If you liked me then, why did you stop talking to me as much after that?"

It was my turn to look down. "I thought you liked another guy, and thought if the famous Miku Hatsune was after someone else, she wouldn't give up until she won him over. So I gave up."

"Wow," Rin said. "I'm gonna leave you two to reminisce together." With that, she left the table to join Hana and Yuma. "Hey hey, can either of you play Meltdown? Because that would be spectacular," I could hear her say. "You've never heard of it, Yuma? I feel slightly offended."

I looked back at Miku, who was blushing slightly. "I guess you were kinda right about me not giving up until I won him over," she said. It took me a moment to realize what she was saying.

_"I didn't think anyone still lived here...I just really missed this place...I wanted to remember old times."_

"So it was a lie?"

"You lied too," Miku said, raising her eyebrows at me.

_"Well, why did Rin give you a leek?"_

_"I don't know. Rin is really weird sometimes."_

"Oh." I thought for a moment.

_"I thought you had changed, and I wanted to give up, but I knew the old Len had to be in there somewhere..."_

"I guess I just never made the connection..." I said, somewhat sheepishly.

Miku looked lost in thought. "Remember all the times we went to the grocery store together? I was always trying to make you smile, but you always seemed to think I was weird," she said, laughing a little.

"I _did_ think you were weird," I said, raising an eyebrow. "I guess that's what made me always notice you. You were weird, but you always seemed like you knew what you were doing, and you never seemed to think badly about anyone."

"I only did my best to stay cheerful," she said.

I cringed inside as the memory of Miku crying in the dark replayed in my mind. "And I wished I could have been there for you when you couldn't stay cheerful on your own," I said, in a gentler tone, trying to imagine what would have happened if I had given Miku a shoulder to cry on.

Miku seemed to be taken off guard for a moment. "I never...I mean, how...?"

"I guess it was inevitable, that I would find out," I said, not quite answering her question. "After all, we were exactly the same. Idiot liars," I said with a smile, knowing Miku wouldn't take offense.

Miku grinned. "Well, anyways, I guess it all worked out okay, don't you think?

I looked from Miku to the living room, where Rin was playing a lively song while Hana and Yuma watched. In the next moment, Hana got up, grabbed Yuma's hands, and began dancing, her teal pigtails bouncing with each twist of her hips. Yuma seemed surprised and unwilling to participate at first, but eventually, his shy smile returned and he accompanied Hana in her energetic movements.

"Yeah," I said with a small smile. In a swift movement, I caught her lips in a small kiss before pulling away and meeting her eyes again.

"I love you," I said, knowing it would make her blush. In all honesty, it made my cheeks warm to say it, but the embarrassed feeling was worth her fond smile.

"I love you too," she said. After a moment of thought, she added, "But I guess that's..."

I grinned.

"The way it always was."

_The End_

* * *

**If you read and enjoyed the story, pleeeease leave a review! I absolutely love hearing what people think of my works, and I'm very proud that I've finally completed the story I had only envisioned in my mind for so long. It'll make my day, and I promise to respond to each of them. Thanks so much for reading! I've included an author's note in a separate chapter, if you don't mind reading it at some point.**


	11. Author's Note

**Author's Note **

I really hope you've enjoyed _The Way It Always Was_, because despite my sometimes violent frustration in trying to write it, I'm very pleased with the result. Thank you to solitaryloner, Victim of Doubt, visitor, choco993, Forene, StarBurst03, Guest, fan, Lily02249, Crystalyna, and VioletCamellia for reviewing along the way! It really encouraged me to keep going :)

As much as I would absolutely LOVE to write another story, or possibly two, about Rin's life and/or Hana's, I just don't have the time with other projects I'm working on. See, the thing about this story is that in my head, it's a completely different universe and each character has their own complete story that I didn't even begin to cover all of. All I've written are little bits and pieces that focus on Miku and Len's life. Thus the 'scenes' instead of 'chapters.'

With that said, if anyone at all would like to take up the idea and write another story in the same universe as this one (especially if you like the ask kagamine-len tumblr blog by Hikusa, which this Len's personality is based off of), you have my complete permission (and encouragement) to do so; just make sure to tell me so I can read it! I do have certain people I ship Rin and Hana with, also, so if you wanted to write about one of them I'll tell you over PM if you don't have your own ships.

Now for some disclaimers:

I don't own Vocaloid. The origin of my idea for Hana was Negibanana, which, unfortunately, has mysteriously disappeared from the internet? I'm not a guy (though I did try to think about how my dad would respond to certain things in the last few chapters), I've never kissed anyone, I haven't grown up, I've never lived in Japan, I've never been to a wedding, I've never been pregnant, I've never raised a child, and I've never had a job. So, with that said, please excuse any factual error xD

Finally, here's a chapter list in case you enjoyed one but can't remember which part/scene it was.

Intro

Part 1, Scene 1- The Day I Met Her

Part 1, Scene 2- The Day I Saw Her Cry

Part 1, Scene 3- The Day I Couldn't Confess

Part 2, Scene 1- The Day We Reunited

Part 2, Scene 2- The Day We Got Married

Part 2, Scene 3- The Day We Could Never Forget

Part 3, Scene 1- The Day She First Saw Us

Part 3, Scene 2- The Day She Was Taken From Us

Part 3, Scene 3- The Day She Showed Us the Truth

P.S. If you go to nicosound and search sm19689752 that's the song that best fits what I believe Hana would sound like (I know it's Miku but it sounds like it could be her daughter.)

~_Postquam est_


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